Omar Kamal

Omar Kamal is a Palestinian singer/composer from the city of Nablus. His multi-cultural influences have given him a rich taste in music ranging from Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson to Arabic greats such as Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Fairouz, and even modern trendsetters like The Weeknd. Omar started playing the piano at the age of 8; by the age of 14 he attended Wagner's international music festival in Germany where he was introduced to the world of classical music. He had the chance to meet celebrated Austrian pianist Paul F. Gulda who then granted him scholarships to do multiple masters courses learning piano.

Since that moment, Omar’s interest in classical music intensified also taking in violin lessons. He started touring with the Palestinian National Conservatory's oriental ensemble playing violin both in Palestine and the UK at the age of 15. By the age of 16, Omar was offered a scholarship to attend another music festival in Barcelona, Spain, for a piano master’s course with Korean pianist Seon-Hee Myong. Omar moved to the UK at the age of 18, where he spent 5 years at the University of Cardiff, graduating with a First in Masters of Engineering in the summer of 2015. During his university years, Omar became the lead vocalist of the University’s Big Band,where he toured parts of the UK and participated in competitions, leaving him with the realization, that music was to be his ultimate, life-long passion. During a return trip to Palestine, Omar organised local concerts, in a move that aimed to kick-start his professional music career for his band. In late 2014, Omar was signed to a multi-year recording contract by Sony Music Middle East.

Omar sings a variety of genres in a number of languages, plays his own instrument, and composes his own music. All these components make Omar one of the most authentic and open artists to emerge from the region in years. He is always looking to add new sounds and elements to his music and experiment with his sound. Work on Omar’s debut album began in early 2015 with Grammy winning producer Dave Pierce (Michael Buble, The Frank Sinatra Estate) and legendary producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith) with a number of exciting international collaborations (Pedro Eustache, Human Nature ) and some of the greatest session players who have worked with the likes of Michael Jackson , Paul McCartney, and Sammy Davies Jr. Recording of the album took place in London , Las Vegas , Los Angeles , Vancouver , but most importantly the prestigious Capitol Studios in Hollywood. The album was finally co-mixed by Bob Rock and multi-Grammy winner Al Schmitt (Frank Sinatra , Quincy Jones , Barbra Streisand) with releases planned for late 2016, expect big things from Omar Kamal.