Salem

Salem al Fakir, whose full birth name is Lars Salem al Fakir, first surfaced in October 27, 1981, in Huddinge, Sweden, as an alternative singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist whose sound fuses soul and pop in unexpected ways. He picked up the violin at four years old before turning to jazz piano studies, then launched his studio work as a session player. Among his early credits are violin and piano parts on Governor Andy’s Torra Benens Dal from 2002 and on Örjan Hultén Trio’s Ayouni in 2005, plus additional projects. He also produced the bulk of Är, the 2006 sophomore release by the Swedish rap duo Snook.

Stepping forward as a solo act, he issued the five-track EP Dream Girl in 2006; its title song climbed into the Swedish Top 30. The following year brought his first proper album, This Is Who I Am, issued through EMI. The record reached number one on the Swedish albums chart and yielded the singles “Good Song,” “It’s True,” and the title track itself. A club-focused remix of “It’s True” crafted by Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso further extended its reach. Critical praise matched the sales: the project collected seven Swedish Grammy nominations, three of which—Best Newcomer, Best Producer, and Best Composer—ended in victories.

During the same period he joined the ensemble H3FK, a direct outgrowth of the Örjan Hultén Trio where he again handled violin and piano, for the 2008 album Nubisha Nätter. Dropping the “al Fakir” portion of his name, he presented his next full-length effort, Astronaut, in 2009 under the shortened moniker Salem. That album landed inside the Swedish Top Ten and featured the tracks “It’s Only You, Pt. 2,” “Astronaut,” and “Roxy.”