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I
appreciate that thoughts, ideas or cultures
which may seem opposite or different can
come together cohesively to make something
unique. I was born and raised in Ponca City,
a small town at the edge of Green Country
in Oklahoma, but my parents were born and
raised in Egypt. When I was young I loved
water painting but I was also an amateur
boxer for years.
I
enjoy classical Western poetry but I enjoy
classical Arabic poetry as well. I have
a degree in Chemical Engineering but now
Im finishing my last year in law school.
I like country and blue grass music but
I appreciate good R&B music as well.
Oklahoma, like me, is a place where cultures
meet and dance. Oklahoma is a hybrid of
Southern, Western and Native American culture
and thanks to my mothers insatiable
desire to learn and experience new things
she made sure that I and everyone in my
family was immersed in all of it.
As
a child, I went to Indian Tribal Powwows,
heard country music artists at the county
fair and watched my favorite cowboys at
the rodeo every year. My mother would take
us to nearby Western Arkansas just to watch
an outdoor play in an amphitheater. My parents
would take us to Branson, Missouri in the
summertime where wed watch live shows,
listen to bluegrass music and make wax candles
like it was done in the old times. They
even took us to Opryland and the famous
Grand Old Opry in Tennessee. This was the
culture I was born and raised in, and it
influences the sound of my music. Having
said that, I feel my music isn't limited
to one genre; I draw on elements from country,
pop, rock and folk music.
I
began writing songs when I was very young
but I became a more serious writer because
of my love for classical poetry. My favorite
poem is John Donnes A Valediction
Forbidding Mourning. Years ago, I wrote
my own melody for John Donnes poem,
recorded it on a little tape player, and
after listening to it a few times I memorized
it. I got the idea from my studies of Arabic
poetry. I had memorized some Arabic poetry
but I always found Arabic poetry easy to
commit to memory because much of it is written
with a melody. Being able to sing John Donnes
poem made it easier to put to memory. After
memorizing A Valediction Forbidding Mourning,
I began doing the same thing with other
poems I liked. Pretty soon, I started to
write my own songs again.
I
never planned on making a music album. Ive
just always found expressing myself through
songs a soothing and cathartic practice,
and then a series of events has led me to
this endeavor. I dont presume to make
any grandiose statements about how my music
will change the industry or change the world.
My hope is that my words will fall upon
ears and hearts that may be seeking the
same thing I am seeking
the inspiration
to live a virtuous life that is pleasing
to God.
Perhaps the listener
can find some inspiration in the words to
live a better moment and perhaps that may
lead to another better moment and another.
One of my teachers taught me that goodness
follows goodness and vice follows vice.
If I can inspire the listener to ask a serious
question about her or his life then that
may lead to another question and, God willing,
the quest for answers.
Official artist website:
www.kareemsalama.com
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