Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwr… Read Full Bio ↴Sami Yusuf A Messenger of Love
Sami Yusuf is a British singer-songwriter, composer, producer and an accomplished musician. Endowed with a strong cultural affiliation to music; privileged with a musical background and having studied music with several renowned composers, including those from one of the world’s most prestigious music institutes – the Royal Academy of Music in London, music is his destiny was unsurprising a prediction acquaintances would so confidently make.
Sami learned to play several musical instruments including the piano, violin, tar, tombak, santour, daf, tabla and oud, to count a few, at a very young age. He bore the passion to etch a mark in the field of music, which he so indelibly did with the release of his groundbreaking debut album, Al-Muallim – an album composed, produced and sung by him.
A young, British-Muslim instantly became the talk of the town in lands as far and diverse as Egypt and Turkey. The album not only sold well over 3 million copies but also earned him a massive following in the Middle East, North African nations and South-East Asia.
Charmed by his good looks and manners so heart warming, the young amongst his fans would emulate what they saw in Sami – a leader. His fans wouldn’t shy away from admitting Sami’s music had changed their lives – for the better. Unheard of before, such an artist-fan tandem flourished with subsequent release of My Ummah, Sami’s highly acclaimed second album selling well over 4 million copies.
Sami was soon headlining CNN, the BBC, ABC, Al Jazeerah, not to mention, every mainstream TV channel in the Middle East and Turkey. Hailed by Time magazine as Islam’s biggest Rock Star and The most famous British Muslim in the World by The Guardian, it was only a matter of time before sheer dynamism of what the media dubbed a popular act became the subject matter of think-tank studies. Transnational Broadcasting Studies, in two separate papers lauded Sami’s state-of-the-art music videos a beacon of positivity and substance; his music an alternative and competitor to the mainstream Western music. His success was soon acknowledged by the University of Roehampton in south-west London, as a result of which, Sami became the first and the youngest Muslim recipient of the honorary Doctor of Letters award in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to music. In attainment of this prestigious award, he not only stands alongside Mark Twain, J.K Rowling and Robert Frost but is also one of the only three musicians in the world to be ever honored thus.
His music not only filled the airwaves of London and LA but also penetrated effectively in the conservative Arabian Peninsula. A staggering 250,000 people packed Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey to see Sami perform. He’s one of us, the crowds would claim proudly and sing along with Sami in his near-perfect Turkish. Sami has played across four continents, packing prestigious venues such as Wembley Arena in London, Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and The Velodrome in Cape Town, South Africa – this by all measures being a humble recollection. His shows are grand and highly personalized. His performances are trim and tightly focused, complete with singing in English, Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Urdu, Azeri and Malay and performance on a multitude of both classical and ethnic instruments. His penchant for multilingualism teamed with simplicity of conduct makes his style a statement, and his shows an experience of a lifetime.
Fame and glory however are illusionary for Sami. For him, his position as an artist is a sacred trust, a trust best honored in serving humanity. His genuine benevolence is reflected through his unwavering commitment as United Nations Celebrity Partner to reach out to those in need throughout the world. He has recently launched a campaign in partnership with United Nations World Food Programme to help end hunger in the Horn of Africa that has been hit by its worst drought in the last 60 years. He has been relentless in assuming his responsibilities as the first global ambassador of Silatech – a Qatar-based initiative promoting entrepreneurial skills and open access to capital and markets for large-scale job creation in the MENA region. His Live8 concert in Wembley Arena raised millions of pounds for the victims of the conflict-laden region of Darfur – an effort recognised and praised by the British government. Sami also took the initiative to work in close tandem with the UN sponsored charity, Save the Children, to help uplift morale of the victims of 2010 Pakistan floods by sending a message of hope and undying support through his charity single, Hear Your Call. The single became the mouthpiece of awareness campaigns led by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, BBC and the CNN.
Sami is one of the UK’s biggest exports in the last decade. In the course of 7 years, he has masterfully navigated through unchartered waters – he has won over the hearts and minds of millions from across the Middle East, Europe, North America and North Africa. His compass, in principle, has been his self-coined genre – Spiritique. Manifested both musically and philosophically in his third album, Wherever You Are, Spiritique is a product of Sami’s identity. Sami is a passionate advocate of unity and is boldly committed to cross-cultural appreciation through promotion of universal values and celebration of the human spirit. The aim is to bridge the gap between perceptions and sense of incompatibility, and to foster spiritual autonomy so we may usher into a new era of cooperation and coexistence. When different races stand side by side, when young and old, pious or agnostic, male or female sing in one voice; that’s when Spiritique shines. An ambitious undertaking it may be to some. To many, it has already begun.
Official Biography from www.samiyusufofficial.com
Prism
Sami Yusuf Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Have come from one
The seed has spread
The dawn of light
Has split from white
To blues and reds
Behind it all
Seven colours of day
Show the light of your way
Have I found what is lying behind
The fire in your eyes?
Do you see what I see?
And from one breath
All sound was formed
Your words could sing
The prism shares
Your secret layers
Unraveling
Behind it all
There must be more
Seven colours of day
Show the light of your way
Have I found what is lying behind
The fire in your eyes?
Do you see what I see?
Every heart, Every hand, Every head
Rise up
Every thought, Every tear, Every smile
Rise up
Every fear, Every doubt, Every trouble
Rise up
Every hope, Every wish, Every prayer
Rise Up
Every faith, Every creed, Every colour
Rise Up
Every mind, Every soul, Everyone
(Rise Up)
Do you see what I see?
In Sami Yusuf's song Prism, he sings about the interconnected nature of everything in the universe. Using the metaphor of a prism, he suggests that every experience and feeling is interconnected, just like the colors of a prism. He suggests that all waves in the world have come from one source, and although they may appear to be different, they are all interrelated. The dawn of light has split into blue and red, representing the cycle of life and the emotions that people feel.
In the chorus, he asks the listener if they have found what is lying behind the fire in someone's eyes. He encourages people to rise up and celebrate their differences, acknowledging that everyone has the power to create a positive change in the world. He calls on people of all faiths, creeds, colors, and backgrounds to rise up together in unity for a better world.
This song reminds listeners to look at the world and the people around them through a different lens - one that sees the interconnectedness of everything. It is a reminder to celebrate diversity and embrace differences, while recognizing that we are all part of the same spectrum of humanity.
Line by Line Meaning
All of your waves
Everything that you emit, every action you take, every word you speak
Have come from one
All of this comes from a single origin, a source that started it all
The seed has spread
This source has propagated and spread its essence everywhere
The dawn of light
The beginning, the very first spark of something grand
Has split from white
This beginning has split into different factions, into something diverse
To blues and reds
These factions possess different qualities, different hues
Behind it all
Beyond what our eyes see
There must be more
There is always more to the story
Seven colours of day
The different shades and colors of life, its moments and emotions
Show the light of your way
These instances give direction, illuminate the path one should take
Have I found what is lying behind
Have I discovered what is hidden, what is not immediately visible
The fire in your eyes?
The passion, the spirit, the essence behind what someone says and does
Do you see what I see?
Is our perception aligned, do we experience the world similarly
And from one breath
Everything comes from a single source, a single act
All sound was formed
From that single act came everything else, even the sounds and music we hear
Your words could sing
The way someone speaks, what they say, can create a melody
The prism shares
The different qualities and aspects of someone, much like light breaking into different colors through a prism
Your secret layers
The hidden parts, the things we don't see, the complexity of an individual
Unraveling
Becoming visible, discoverable, understandable
Every heart, Every hand, Every head
Every person, every individual
Rise up
Stand tall, take action, unite
Every thought, Every tear, Every smile
All the emotions, thoughts and experiences that make us human
Every fear, Every doubt, Every trouble
The challenges we face, the internal conflicts, the obstacles that hold us back
Every hope, Every wish, Every prayer
The things we yearn for, the aspirations we have, the desires that guide us
Every faith, Every creed, Every colour
The different beliefs, cultures and backgrounds we belong to
Every mind, Every soul, Everyone
Every person, every human being
Do you see what I see?
Are we aware of the same things, are we all aligned towards a common goal?
Writer(s): Will Knox, Sami Yusuf
Contributed by Arianna P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Adlina Syamimi
Wonderfully a divine song! Spiritual beauty! Incredible masterpiece! Thank you very much @Andante Records! 💛💛💛
umrankara
Magical voice🔥 magical music 💛🔥👍
Latifa Battiche
Beautiful ❤
Hanane Fati
My most favorite song 🥺 , what an Amazing Angelic voice 🥺!! that tuch the deep of the herats 😭♥️
Samira Aijaz
My favorite ❤️❤️❤️
Kadin Şeyma
Wonderful song ❤🎶
Burooj Naqash
Whenever I listen to this song, I am speechless and that feeling is just out of this world .
lolo lolo
Your voice runs in my blood, Sami Yusuf, but this song is more than magic and harmony that touches the heart 💜💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
Farah Jafarova
All songs of this album are awesome ❤️
ayse
Sami Yusuf sabe o valor de ver diferente 💖