As’salamu alaikum FriendsIf you are a similar age to me, you will remember the song Aicha. It resonated with me in such a profound way as it honoured the struggle and love of our mothers, daughters and the women in our lives. It was a global hit and a number 1 in Germany. The video has had 72 million views, while Callin U has over 147 million views!
🎵 Outlandish
Outlandish’s music was appealing for many of us when we were in our 20s and 30s because we grew up with the start of the nasheed genre and wanted something more. Outlandish’s music had a message that was so necessary for Muslims in the West after 9/11 as we were forced to reassess our place in the world. Just take a listen to Guantanemo.
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The band of three friends from Denmark were signed to a major record label. Their music even featured on the video game FIFA 07. However it was the complementary backgrounds of a Moroccan Muslim (Isam), Pakistani Muslim (Waqas) and Catholic of Cuban/Honduran descent (Lenny) that made their sound so unique.
They stayed together for 20 years and then went their own ways, with Isam B releasing songs as a solo artist. He recently released a beautiful nasheed in multiple languages in Ramadan 2024 called Celebrating Ramadan and the mesmerising Walking in Medina.
🎉 MuslimFest 2023
Fast forward a few decades and I saw Isam perform at the MuslimFest in Toronto in Summer 2023 (sneak peak in picture/video below). I reached out to him and he was kind enough to agree to an interview.
🎙️ My interview with Isam
I was nervous before the interview so I did a lot of prep work. I felt I was eventually ready for it…but then the dreaded technical issues (gremlins, jinn or whatever you want to call them) kicked in on the day despite my checks. My Plan A and Plan B for the recording wasn’t working…so we went to Plan C ! That explains the slightly different video quality than usual but I don’t think it affected the amazing content in any way.
I loved the interview ❤️❤️
We spoke about the struggles and resilience of his father who was an undocumented migrant from Morocco to Denmark. There are so many parallels to the migrants to the UK, especially Scotland, and I refer to an amazing project which I have had the pleasure be involved with, Colourful Heritage. I love his recollection about road trips from Denmark to Morocco 🚗 !
There is so much to consider about our inter-generational stories and the narratives we pass on between generations. Isam has written about this in his book, Fædreland (Fatherland) which is in Danish but hopefully in English and Arabic soon. He speaks about his father and also his own role as a father.
In Fædreland, the singer Isam B opens up for the first time about his complete family story, which begins with his father's life in a mountain village in post-war Morocco, takes us through European factories as an undocumented worker and from there on to the summer of 1967, when a young man arrives at Copenhagen Central Station to look for work. Fædreland is the story of this guest worker's son, a shy and introverted boy who helped create one of the most popular rap groups in Danish history from the 90's, whose songs reached far beyond the country's borders with songs like Aicha. It is a story about fathers and sons, about finding one's place in the duality and about passing this relationship on to one's own son.
We speak about Isam’s evolution from a shy introvert into a global superstar, and how he coped with the challenges of fame and celebrity whilst staying true to his faith ☪.
He tells me about saying no to performing on Big Brother, turning down Netflix acting roles, how Hajj 🕋 came at the right time for him, and his lifelong support for Palestine 🇵🇸🍉.
🇵🇸 Palestine
Palestine has been close to Isam’s heart since birth. In recent months he has been active on Danish mainstream media emphasising the need to work towards justice and peace in Palestine. He discusses the deafening silence of some artists with regards to recent events in Gaza.
A very powerful track from Outlandish’s collection is Look Into My Eyes which is based on a poem by Palestinian teenager Gihad Ali called Eye to Eye. Although the poem was released over 20 years ago, it is just as relevant today. Isam reveals how he had to edit/remove some of the poem verses for the song.
🇵🇸 Highlights
In this episode, we discussed:
🎤 Parent’s journey from Morocco to Denmark
🎤 The significance of preserving and celebrating our heritage
🎤 Early childhood influences
🎤 The formation of Outlandish
🎤 9/11, Hajj and the timing of the song Aicha’s success
🎤 Palestine and silence of some artists
🎤 Entertainment industry and pressure to sacrifice your morals
🎤 The end of Outlandish after 20 years. Advice on collaborating with friends
🎤 Sacrifice
🎤 Mental health. Navigating tough times
🎤 Legacy and future projects
Enjoy the episode !
✍️ Do take a moment to subscribe to the podcast and leave a comment on Apple Podcasts as it helps other people to find the show.
Look after yourself and your family.
Wa'alaikum Salam
Dr Aman
Host
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