Omar Souleyman, at first glance, may not initially fit the profile of an international singing sensation.

Born in a north eastern Syrian village to a farming family in the 1960s, Souleyman began his music career as a wedding singer before his combination of traditional Middle Eastern folk music and electronic beats caught the attention of mainstream musicians including Four Tet, Damon Albarn and Björk. Forced to flee from his home country during the Syrian Civil War, Souleyman has on multiple occasions expressed his sadness at not being able to perform in his homeland again, commenting 'there is really no more music in Syria'. Despite this, his 'thumping Arabic love songs' have become a big hit with a 'hip, Western' audience, with Souleyman now performing sold out gigs in England and the rest of Europe.