Berwaldhallen concert on P2 right now....

The Lucia concert by the Nacka music class and Salem is being broadcast right now on Swedish Radio's P2 channel - http://sverigesradio.se/p2/

Of course I'm sitting in front of the computer and enjoying this beautiful choral music...and looking forward to hearing Salem!

EDIT 19:45 (UK time): what a wonderful concert!

Set list - songs played by Salem and the band:

1. Good Song
2. It's Only You
3. Brooklyn Sun
4. Astronaut
5. Hymn
6. Keep On Walking

Salem began with a more jazzy interpretation of "Good Song" where he was successfully accompanied by the choir - is there any musical setting where this man's music doesn't work??? - and what a stunning piano solo too.

Next was "It's Only You" - Salem's vocals on this were so sweet and tender that I was reduced to a quivering wreck ;) and it was, in my opinion, one of the best versions of this song that I've ever heard him do.

"Brooklyn Sun" - a very special song, and even more special when played in the piano-version. We all know that Salem is a terrific singer, but his vocals keep getting better and better!

"Astronaut" - yet another faultless version of a perfect song.

"Hymn" - this song always makes me cry, and it did again tonight. Salem has rarely played this song live, so it was a particular highlight to hear such a beautiful, moving song which seemed to fit the mood of this type of concert.

Salem then introduced his always-wonderful band - Nisse, Jakob and Adam - then they launched into their final song, which of course was "Keep On Walking" which began with a jazzy, reggae feel and brought the set to a triumphant end before the Nacka choir returned for the final part of a beautiful and very emotional concert.

If you missed the show, or if you just want to listen to it over and over again like I do, go to http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2482 and click on the link 'P3 Live Klassiskt - Luciakonsert från Berwaldhallen'.

"Keep On Walking" nominated in Grammis 'Best Song' category

Tomorrow, the nominations for the Swedish Grammis will be revealed...hoping for lots of nominations for Salem of course!

Today the list of Best Song nominees was announced - and "Keep On Walking" is on the list!

Here is the full list of Best Song nominees:

Salem Al Fakir – "Keep on Walking"
Robyn – "Dancing on my Own"
Oskar Linnros – "Från och med du"
Daniel Adams-Ray – "Gubben i lådan"
Anna Bergendahl – "This is my life"
Eric Saade – "Manboy"
Eric Grönwall – "Higher"
Johnossi – "What's the Point"
Swedish House Mafia – "One"
Mohombi – "Bumpy ride"

Poll result: we want Salem in Så mycket bättre!

Thanks to everyone who voted in my latest poll. 67% of those who voted, want to see Salem in a future series of TV4's hit TV show "Så mycket bättre" which has now come to the end of its very successful first series.

I would love to see Salem appear in this show, as it would bring his music to a new audience and it would also allow him to discover some other artists' music too :)))

Södertälje and Stockholm....

If you were at Salem's show at Klubb Molto on Saturday night, remember that you can leave your comments, views and set lists here! Let me know if you enjoyed the show.

And I would also like to hear from you, if you are going to Berwaldhallen on Sunday. Of course I'll be sitting at the computer on Monday night, listening to P2's broadcast of tomorrow's concert. If you are going - enjoy the show!

The final "Tracks" chart on P3....

...and Salem has made his own little piece of history as "Split My Personality" is at no.9 in the last ever "Tracks" chart on P3 today.

Daniel Adams-Ray tops the chart with "Gubben I Lådan" which becomes the final number one song in this famous chart which has been running since September 1984. I'm really sad to see this chart ending as it always featured the best in Swedish music, so I guess it's appropriate that it ends with the very best - Salem Al Fakir - in the top 10.

New interview

A very interesting interview in Länstidningen Södertälje, ahead of Salem's gig tomorrow night: http://lt.se/kulturnoje/1.1035819-kanner-du-igen-lars-

P3 on Saturday, Berwaldhallen on Sunday, P2 on Monday!

There's a lot going on over the next few days :)

On Saturday 11th December, tune into P3 Star (between 14:00 and 16:00 Swedish time) for a special programme devoted to the P3 Guld award nominees. Salem will be one of the stars interviewed - others include Daniel Adams-Ray and Johnossi.

Check out http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2907&artikel=4229533 for more information about the show. Here's a picture of Salem and the show's host Cissi (picture courtesy of Sveriges Radio).

The following day, Sunday 12th December, it will be time for Salem's return to Berwaldhallen, this time as special guest at two concerts (16:00 and 18:00) by the Nacka music class. These are special concerts for Lucia Day.

What is even more special is that one of the concerts will be transmitted the following evening on P2 from 19:30 - 21:00 Swedish time (18:30 - 20:00 British time). You can also read a feature about the concerts at http://www.nvp.se/Kultur--Noje/Salem-Al-Fakir--sjunger-in-julen-med-Nacka-musikklasser/ and if you go to http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=3985 you'll find more information about the concerts and ticket booking.

The concert is in three parts; Salem will appear with the Nacka music class in the first part, then he will perform his own live set in part two. This should be a brilliant show as Salem always shines in an orchestral/choral setting and I can't wait to hear the concert.

Salem Al Fakir: more popular than Justin Bieber!!

Found this very interesting Finnish article tonight at http://googlefipress.blogspot.com/2010/12/vuoden-2010-suosituimmat-google-haut.html

Google Finland's annual "Zeitgeist" reveals the annual search trends over the past year - and Salem tops the list of Finland's most-searched for international fastest rising searches in 2010. More people in Finland searched on Google for Salem, than for international celebrities like Justin Bieber and Jason Derulo!

Klubb Molto gig this Saturday...

Don't forget that Salem will be playing Klubb Molto at Södertälje Stadshus this coming Saturday. Damien Adore is the support act.

More info at http://moltolive.nu/salem-al-fakir/

There are still tickets available, so if you haven't got your tickets yet then you can book them at https://secure.tickster.com/(S(bs3leu55bztllp55bvogbgj1))/sv-SE/FKYZEVMNWP223UN/Shop/Products.aspx

Found some good news tonight (via www.twitter.com/klubbmolto) that Saturday night's show will be recorded for future transmission on P3 Live. I'll bring more information about that when it becomes available.

"Keep On Walking" nominated in P3 Guld awards!

The nominees for the 2011 P3 Guld awards were announced today, and "Keep On Walking" has been nominated in the 'Årets låt' category!

It's time to get voting - go to http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/p3/p3guld/index.asp and vote for Salem (and all your other Swedish favourites too).

I wish Salem had received more nominations, but I'm just very happy that he's been nominated! The ceremony takes place on 22nd January 2011 at Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg.


Here's Salem pictured at today's P3 Guld 2011 launch. (picture courtesy of: Ruben Brundell/Sveriges Radio).

"Split My Personality" stays at no.7 on Tracks chart

"Split My Personality" is a non-mover at no.7 on P3's excellent Tracks chart this week. Daniel Adams-Ray and Oskar Linnros are in the top two positions, with Robyn, Tove Styrke and September also in the top 10 - I wish the British music charts were as good as this one.

Don't forget to vote between now and 14:00 on Monday to keep Salem in the top 10! Vote at http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/p3/tracks/index.asp?taskid=1

Planet Salem is three years old today!

Three years ago today, I started a blog about my favourite musician, Salem Al Fakir. At that time I didn’t know how long it would last, or if anyone would ever read it. Three years later, Planet Salem has had almost 51,000 visitors, and has a regular and very devoted readership. Tack alla!

I thought 2009 was an exciting year for Salem, but that was nothing compared to 2010! Salem may not have won Melodifestivalen, but he was the true winner - "Keep On Walking" was the most played song on Swedish radio all year. For Salem, Melodifestivalen was an "experiment" - a very successful one, as it won him so many fans, young and old, all keen to discover his unique and incredibly diverse music. Salem became a household name, and (as you say in Sweden), "folkkär".

On Salem's third album "Ignore This", he took his music in a new, electronic/experimental direction and his development as a lyricist was remarkable.

Of course Salem is at his very best when performing live, and he was "on the road" with the band for most of the year, in the north, south, east and west of Sweden and in Norway and Finland too.

What will 2011 bring? Well, I think it will be a lot quieter than 2010 - there will be some orchestra-concerts early in the year, and Dalhalla in the summer, but apart from that I don't expect we will hear so much from Salem. Being the "workaholic" that he is, I'm hoping he will take some time out to write and record new music, although I can't see him releasing an album next year. I wonder if we will hear anything from Damien Adore in 2011? From the moment he appeared on stage at the P3 Guldgalan back in January I knew he was going to be a very interesting character!

Of course there is still some unfinished business - when I started Planet Salem three years ago, I wanted to spread the word about "the world's best-kept musical secret". Of course it's no secret how I feel about this - I still can't understand why his music has not been released outwith Scandinavia, as there is clearly a market for his music. As time goes on I'm becoming increasingly pessimistic that it's never going to happen, and probably not in 2011, although I remain hopeful that one day, Salem's music will be released in Britain and he will come over here to play live.

Which brings me onto the highlight of my year - going back over to Gothenburg in March 2010 to see Salem and the band play an unforgettable show at the Konserthuset with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Hans Ek. This really was Salem at his very, very best. And the best thing about it was getting to meet him again - and despite becoming extremely famous since my last meeting with him in April 2009, Salem remains such a friendly, warm, down-to-earth person who is extremely humble and totally appreciates his fans.

Salem has been incredibly supportive of this blog over the last couple of years and I hope that someday I can see him play live and get to meet him again.

One of the best things about doing Planet Salem over the past three years, and particularly over the past 12 months, is that this fanblog has become an "interactive" one, so tonight I want to specially thank all of you Salem fans out there, who are as crazy about him as I am :) Thank you for all your reviews, translations, pictures, scans and comments - I appreciate everything you contribute. I've made some very special friends doing this blog and would love to meet you all some day! I introduced the forum this year and it's been lots of fun too - if you haven't visited yet, check it out!

Special thanks to the "Facebookers" for mentioning Planet Salem over there (as I'm not on Facebook). Thank you all for your hard work in spreading the word about Salem!

It's so special for me that Planet Salem has been welcomed and accepted by Salem's Swedish fans. Of course it is also an international fansite, so I really want to thank the very devoted band of British and international fans who have been lucky enough to discover Salem's music, and who are regular visitors to PS.

Finally I just want to thank some very important people....

...Inger Al Fakir: for your kind words and continued support.
...Stefan Segolson: truly one of the "good guys".
...Magnus @ EMI: for patiently answering all my questions.
...Jörgen @ Blixten: for helping to make my dream come true, to meet Salem again on that unforgettable evening at the Gothenburg Konserthuset!
...Nisse, Jakob and Adam: what is a great artist without a great band behind him?

And most of all....

...Salem Al Fakir: Your music continues to be the soundtrack to my life, your artistic talent inspires me and brings me so much happiness every day. And as a person, you are one of the best. Love you! <3

Thank you all for three fantastic years of Planet Salem....and there's so much more to come!

Official info: why Salem never appeared at the Bloggpriset-gala

X3M's website reports the reason why Salem never appeared at the Bloggpriset tonight:
http://yle.fi/extrem/news/parad_artikel.php?id=36881#news

X3M explained that Salem did not appear as his flight was delayed so late that he didn't have time to appear at the Gala. X3M apologises for this and advises that ticket refunds will be available from Tiketti.

Hope this clears up any confusion. I hope that Salem will reschedule his gig, as he has a lot of Finnish fans who want to see him play live!

No Salem concert tonight :(

I was very, very angry when YLE pulled the Bloggpriset webstream, but now I have an explanation for everyone who was waiting to watch/listen tonight.

Apparently Salem and the band were stuck in Stockholm due to the Finnish airline strike today.

Apologies to all of you who were eagerly waiting for the show, as I was :(

Bloggpriset....but where's Salem?

I don't know what's happening....been watching the Bloggpriset for the last hour but still no sign of Salem - I'm beginning to wonder if they are going to broadcast his live set after all????

Bloggpriset 2010 - live right now!

Video and audio from the 2010 Bloggpriset is being streamed live from Korjaamo in Helsinki right now on http://www.yle.fi/extrem/radio/

Salem will be on stage in just under 90 minutes time... I'm so excited tonight!! :)))))

Salem's Helsinki gig tomorrow...more info!

Salem will be playing his long-awaited Finnish show at Korjaamo in Helsinki tomorrow night, Wednesday 1st December.

Don't forget to tune into X3M radio tomorrow night. The (Swedish-language) station will be broadcasting the Bloggalan 2010, which is the award ceremony for Finland's Swedish-language bloggers. Of course blogging is a subject very close to my heart, so I think it's appropriate that Salem is playing at a bloggers' gala tomorrow, which is also Planet Salem's third birthday!

I've checked over at YLE's website which said that the Bloggalan would be broadcast on the internet - it should be at http://www.yle.fi/extrem/radio/ although I checked the X3M player just now and it was playing classical music rather than the alternative pop which the station is known for! Anyway I will check the webstream link tomorrow night and let you know if it's working :)

I had to check the timezones to see if Finland was in a different timezone from Sweden, and it is. (I'm glad I checked this or I may have missed the show!). So please note the following information if you want to hear the show!

If you are in Finland, the show will be broadcast from 20:00 until 00:00 Finnish time. Salem will be on stage at 22:30.

Swedish, Norwegian and other continental European countries: tune in from 19:00 until 23:00 - Salem will be on stage at 21:30.

Last (but not least) for all of us Salem fans over here in the UK, the show will run from 18:00 until 22:00, Salem will be on stage at 20:30.

And if you're going to Korjaamo - enjoy the show!

'Dom kallar oss artister' - SVT, 31st January

Lots of news today!!

Svenska Dagbladet reports today http://www.svd.se/kulturnoje/nyheter/salem-al-fakir-hyllas-i-svt-program_5756477.svd that Salem will be featured in the first episode of the third series of SVT's 'Dom kallar oss artister' on 31 January 2011.

I didn't know anything about this show, so I had a look at some clips and it looks like a really interesting programme, going behind the scenes with the artists featured.

Salem returns to Dalhalla next summer!

Yes, here, finally, is the big news that I promised :)) Thanks to Vera at Blixten for the press release.

Actually, it's good news and bad news. First the bad news - Salem will only play one concert next summer :(

Now the good news - that concert will be at Dalhalla! Yes, Salem will return to Dalhalla on Friday 5th August 2011, where he will perform once again with the Gävle Symfoniorkester under the direction of Hans Ek.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, 3rd December and will be available at http://www.dalhalla.se/.

Press release in full:

Salem Al Fakir comes to Dalhalla, the weekend after Malena Ernman, Friday August 5. Salem was as a child at a concert at Dalhalla as a child and was fascinated by the magical environment. Last summer he had a chance to perform a concert there, and the result was a real hit, "Powerful, Salem Al Fakir!" wrote Dala-Demokraten and Dalarnas Tidningar was equally enthusiastic: "a fantastic evening – when he was called up again for the fourth time, was the success a reality."

"In the summer, I was out on a record long tour and played throughout Sweden. It was great fun, but when I came home and everything calmed down there was one concert I was extra happy when I was thinking back to – Dalhalla. It is a wonderful scene, but above all because it is incredibly inspiring and a pleasure to play with a Symphony Orchestra. Therefore, I have decided that next summer I will only do a single concert, and it will be at Dalhalla, "says Salem Al Fakir.

Just like last year, Salem and his band will play together with Gävle Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hans Ek.

Salem Al Fakir has released three acclaimed albums and won four Grammis. Latest gold selling album "Ignore This" was released in the spring. Salem, who began playing the violin at four years old, plays all the instruments himself on his CDs and has in recent years made several high-profile appearances with the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Berwaldhallen in Stockholm. He has also played with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Malmö Opera Orchestra and in spring 2011 he will appear with the Jönköpings Sinfonietta and Norrköping Symphony Orchestra.

Vara Konserthus - 18th March!

New concert announced today!!

Salem will play a show at Vara Konserthus on Friday 18th March 2011.

Tickets go on sale on Monday 6th December at 13:00. Info at http://www.ticnet.se/Salem+Al+Fakir-biljetter/event/VRK0318

56,000 fabulous Facebook fans!

Yes, tonight the number of Salem's fans on Facebook hit the total of 56,000!

And hopefully many, many more to come....

iTunes cover competition winner!

Remember the recent competition to design the cover of Salem's next iTunes release? (I previously posted about it at http://planetsalem.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-competition-from-salem-and-emi.html)

Today Salem announced the winner on his Facebook site. Congratulations to Linnea Dahlgren from Malmö!

Salem also announced that there would be more information about this release soon.

Tomorrow...

...there will be some exciting news!

EDIT 29.11.2010: Well, as you've probably guessed, it didn't happen today - but there is some exciting news coming soon and I'll let you know as soon as I get it. :)

Question for Swedes and Norwegians?

I listened to Salem's interview on Bergen student radio this morning (link at http://planetsalem.blogspot.com/2010/11/salems-norwegian-radio-interview-today.html) and was able to understand some of it, so I guess my understanding of spoken Swedish is getting better! Of course there was also lots of music in the show - "4 O'Clock", "Count Me Out", "Virgin Mary", "Backseat" and "Roxy".

Anyway, hearing Salem interviewed on a Norwegian radio station got me thinking about the differences between the Swedish and Norwegian languages. As a native English speaker, I find written and spoken Norwegian so much harder to understand than Swedish.

Can any of you tell me if it is true that all Swedes and Norwegians can understand each other's languages when speaking to each other? For example, I've heard Salem interviewed on Norwegian radio and television programmes and they seem to have no problem understanding each other.

Photos from Hulen, Bergen show

If you want to see some photos of Salem (and Damien) from the gig in Bergen on Friday, go to http://www.hulen.no/galleri2/thumbnails.php?album=409

Salem's Norwegian radio interview today

Sorry I'm a bit late with this, but I've only just found out - Salem will be appearing on Bergen Student Radio's "Lydsjekk" programme this morning. It starts in 25 minutes (at 12:00 Norwegian time) so remember to tune in on 96.4 and 107.8 FM in Bergen, and there's also a webstream at http://srib.no/musikk/lydsjekk/

Did you hear the show? If you missed it, go to http://srib.no/musikk/lydsjekk/salem-al-fakir-lydsjekk/ where there's a link to the webstream where you can hear it again.

"Split My Personality" no.7 on Tracks!

Some very good news, as "Split My Personality" reached no. 7 in Swedish Radio P3's "Tracks" chart yesterday.

Remember - rösta rösta rösta! To keep the song in the top 10 go to http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/p3/tracks/ between now and 14:00 on Monday 29th November, and get voting.

Urgent message for Fredrik P F !!

Hej Fredrik,

I've sent you a very urgent email! Unfortunately I won't be able to check my emails between now and tomorrow night as I'll be at work, so would you be able to leave me a comment on here, to let me know if you've been able to do what I've asked?

Sorry this is a bit cryptic....but thanks again for all your help!

/Laura.

Salem in Norway!

Hello to all of Salem's Norwegian fans, this post is especially for you! (and all those Swedes crossing the border to Norway!!)

If you live in or around Oslo or Bergen you will get the chance to see Salem and the band (and of course, legendary support act Damien Adore) play two long-awaited shows over the next couple of nights.

On Thursday 25th November, the venue is the Parkteatret in Oslo. Show starts at 20:00, over 18s only. Go to http://www.parkteatret.no/ for more information.

On Friday 26th November, Salem and the band move on to Hulen in Bergen, more info at http://www.hulen.no/4540/15406

(By the way, thanks to the Hulen website for posting a link to Planet Salem's 'Introducing Damien Adore' post in their article about Damien Adore - http://www.hulen.no/4579/15491 Takk - mye verdsatt!)

If you are going to any of these shows, have a great time and remember to leave your comments here. I'd also be interested to know how popular Salem is in Norway, if his music is getting much radio airplay, and if there have been any recent newspaper articles or interviews with him. Also, let us know about any TV or radio appearances coming up.

Salem and Sjung Nu, singing in Stockholm!

Last night Salem made a guest appearance with the Sjung Nu choir at the Filadelfiakyrkan in Stockholm. Here is a clip (which someone has very kindly posted on YouTube) of Salem and the choir singing a brilliant version of "Keep On Walking". Enjoy!



By the way, if any Planet Salem readers were in the choir I'd love to hear from you - you did a fantastic job. Did Salem sing any more songs or was it just "Keep On Walking"?

Salem guest appearance tonight?

I'm not 100% sure about this but I think Salem may be making a guest appearance at a concert tonight in Filadelfiakyrkan in Stockholm, by the 1000-member Sjung Nu choir?
http://gaffa.se/live/event/40516

Vote for "Split My Personality" on Tracks

Good news today (via Facebook) that "Split My Personality" was tested on SR P3's "Tracks" today...if you want to see Salem back on next week's "Tracks" chart then vote at http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/p3/tracks/index.asp?taskid=1

The rules are the same as always, you have between now and 14:00 on Monday to vote, then the new chart will be revealed next Saturday!

Gothenburg tonight!

It's strange, writing about Salem playing a show in Gothenburg and I'm not there to see it... :(

Tonight Salem and the band will be at the Sticky Fingers club in Gbg so if you're going, enjoy the show and remember to leave your comments and reviews. Hope you all have a great night - I'm sure it will be yet another amazing show.

A new competition from Salem and EMI Music Sweden

Via Salem's official website and Facebook, Salem and EMI Music Sweden have announced a new competition today, to design the cover of Salem's upcoming iTunes release.

How to enter? Well, you need to email a drawing, painting, or image which symbolises Salem's live concert for you. The image must be square and in high-resolution (1500 x 1500 pixels). Email your entries to tavling@emimusic.com no later than 23 November.

Good luck to all of you entering the competition!

(I wonder what that upcoming iTunes release will be. Maybe a live recording???)

Planet Salem Exclusive: Dalhalla pictures

I promised you something very special for tonight, and here it is - a Planet Salem exclusive!!

Courtesy of my good friend (and big supporter of this blog) the one and only Fredrik Pousette Falk, here are some excellent pictures which were exclusively photographed for Planet Salem by Agnes Högberg on 21st August 2010 prior to Salem and the band's legendary Dalhalla show.

Please remember to credit Agnes if you use these photos anywhere else (thank you!)

Stort grattis Agnes and Fredrik for these wonderful pictures of Salem, Adam, Nisse, Jakob and Sami, from the stunning setting of Dalhalla!

Get "Split My Personality" onto Swedish radio stations!!

Via Salem's Facebook today, a request to all Salem fans out there. If you want to hear the great new Bassflow remix version of "Split My Personality" on Rix FM, then here's what to do...go to http://www.rixfm.com/musik/onska-latar and request the song. (They were very supportive of "Keep On Walking" so it's about time they had a new Salem song on their playlist!)

And if you want to hear "Split My Personality" on NRJ, go to http://www.nrj.se/program/kontakta-studion and request the song.

Tack!!

Tomorrow night...

...look out for something special on Planet Salem!

Gaffa.se review of Salem (and Damien) at Debaser

Check out http://gaffa.se/recension/44688 for a review of last night's gig by Salem Al Fakir/Damien Adore at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm.

You can also find a few photos at http://gaffa.se/Galleries/gallery/3964 - photos by Jonath Mathew. I thought I'd share one of them with you (if that's ok) - here is the mysterious Damien Adore ;)

"Split My Personality" (Bassflow remix) now available to download!

At last!! It's been on Swedish radio, and now it's available for you to download (if you live in Sweden):

http://itunes.apple.com/se/album/split-my-personality-bassflow/id402066822?i=402066827

http://digital.bengans.se/Magellan/pages/main.jsp?storeId=10401&pageId=collectionDisplay&viewId=14090608

http://skivlagret.shop2download.com/m/Salem-Al-Fakir/Split-My-Personality-Bassflow-Remix/?sku=15232341

http://musikshop.gp.se/Magellan/pages/main.jsp?storeId=14450&pageId=collectionDisplay&viewId=14090608

http://musikbutiken.telia.se/Magellan/pages/main.jsp?storeId=12401&pageId=collectionDisplay&viewId=14090608

The Tivoli, Helsingborg 12.11.10: review by Kjell Gullberg

Here is a very nice review of Friday night's show by my good friend Kjell - thanks again for sharing it with us :)

The show began 45 minutes late, but perhaps that's the usual Tivoli style... I'd never been there before! Nisse, Adam and Jacob entered the stage first. We were then all just waiting for a few minutes, while the intro to "Part Of It" started... and the crowd got going when Salem entered the stage.

I really like this song... the "ah-ah-aoah-aohahhh-ah-ah" part always make me think of Gregorian music, which is something quite different from pop! But not in Salem's world, of course...The next thing I noticed was that I've never heard Salem sing that well during a live concert before. Excellent!

The second song was "It's True"... in quite a different way, that I really liked. About the next thing Salem told us was in fact that this concert was going to be different... he told us that the autumn tour always consists of re-arranged versions of the songs, this time in a more "clubby" (electronica) way. Which is of course perfect at a club as The Tivoli... Salem even warned listeners about the different feeling compared to the summer shows!

Anyway, I can already tell you that I found this "club version" of Salem's music very good and creative during the entire concert... in fact, for me this was his best gig I've seen with Salem (although this was my first club experience).

At this point, I've lost the order of the set list (sorry, I'm getting too old I guess!).

Anyway, much of the material came from the "Ignore This" album. Some of the songs were "4 O'Clock", "This Is For", and "Split My Personality".

During "I'm So Happy" (if I'm not mistaken), Adam played a "loop" on his acoustic guitar that instantly reminded me of "I'm on Fire" with Bruce Springsteen. Quite amazing... and at the end of the song I got a U2 feeling. That's one of the things I really like with Salem's music: It is so diverse, with absolutely no borders in any musical direction. Anyway, we all sang along in the "la-la-la" part, with maximum joy (yes I know that the lyrics aren't really that positive, but still)!

"Bloody Breakfast" was (at least to me) another "goose pimpler". Those chords in the "oh-oh-oh" part are just amazing. It gives me the ultimate "club feeling"! In the end of this song (I think!) Salem played a wonderful solo on the keyboard, completely different from the CD version.

Salem also played "Astronaut" (he restarted it once in order to get the audience more alert - in his usual charming way with the words "Please enjoy this since it's for once a hit song!"). By this point, the crowd had belonged to Salem for a long time...

"Roxy" and "It's Only You (Part II)" were there as well. Both are favourites of mine. Oh, I forgot "Twelve Fingers".

On the negative side, there was some song in the middle of the concert that sounded a little uninspired... or perhaps it was just me that wasn't in the mood for it.

The final song was "Keep On Walking", another crowd-pleaser of course. Well, not really final... we managed to get two encores. Salem had a little discussion with us whether they should play something up-tempo or slow... and it turned out we got both! First, the wonderful "Virgin Mary" in its usual "rocket speed" pace. Nisse did a good job at the drums... Second, "Brooklyn Sun". We all sang along, once again...

As for Damien Adore, there was no "Backseat". Damien Adore is, as I understood it, the "electronica" part of Salem, the theme of this evening. Salem even claimed that all his music is in "club style", it's just "stripped" before it's released on CD (and played on TV). Well, I wouldn't agree about the "all his music" part, but never mind...

The review in Helsingborgs Dagblad was not as positive as this one... my only comments to it are that, first, "Dream girl" wasn't even played... and second, the synthesizer was not "self playing", Salem definitely played it for real (although some sound was pre-recorded, no-one pretended playing it).

Salem really seemed to enjoy the gig... he was jumping around now and then, and also forgot the lyrics a few times (which, by the way, made us in the audience love him even more). His talking and joking between the songs charmed us as usual.

After about one hour (a little short, if you ask me), my so far best Salem Al Fakir experience ended for this time. Over and out.

Malmö show cancelled

Via Alexandra on Salem's Facebook, some bad news - the Malmö show on 9th December at Babel is cancelled. (I don't know the reason for this). No alternative date has been announced yet, and refunds are available. http://babelmalmo.se/konsert/101209

Sunday in Stockholm!

Salem's back in Stockholm this Sunday, 14th November, for a long-awaited live show at Debaser Slussen. More info at http://www.debaser.se/kalender/5462/

To all of you who are going to the show - hope you enjoy it! It should be a great night.

New Planet Salem poll !

There has been a lot of coverage in the Swedish media about "Så mycket bättre", so I wanted to know your views about this TV show. This gave me the idea for a new poll - would you like to see Salem appear in a future series of the show? The poll will remain open until 12th December and as usual it's just for fun, so remember to vote!

In my own humble opinion, I would like to see him do the show at some point, not just because it would bring his music to a wider audience, but also because the idea behind the show seems to be based on respect for fellow musicians, all from a wide range of ages and styles. Given Salem's love of music, along with his own musical versatility, then I think this show would suit him perfectly. The other special thing about this show is that there are no stupid votes or evictions, it's just a diverse group of artists doing what they enjoy best - making music.

The betting has already started on who will appear on the next series - http://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/spel/article8114149.ab - and Salem is among the favourites.

I'd also love to see Bjorn Skifs, Tomas Ledin, Orup and Joey Tempest take part too!

Lund tonight

The next stop on Salem's tour is at Mejeriet in Lund tonight. If you're going - enjoy the show!

More info at http://www.kulturmejeriet.se/index.php/program/salem-al-fakir-damien-adore/

Helsingborgs Dagblad review of Salem at The Tivoli, Helsingborg

Review by Hannes Grönberg at http://hd.se/noje/konsert/2010/11/13/salem-siktar-snett/

It's a two star review, in which the reviewer seems unhappy with Salem's new, electronic musical direction, and the new versions of old/more recent material. "...one example is "Dream Girl", where the luxury orchestrated soul pop is exchanged for electronic drum kit and electric piano. It is a brave version indicating a high integrity, but that sounds more new than good".

The reviewer goes on to say: "Salem Al Fakir talks about club music, but its sights are set wrong and the result lands closer to the Eurovision Song Contest than dance pop bands such as Hot Chip and Junior Boys." ...."the main character also makes a controlled impact with sparse dancing and the big hair hidden under a knitted cap....there are moments when the pent-up joy breaks through...but the highlights are sabotaged by blunder as on "This Is For" where the singer raps with a robotic voice while I find it increasingly difficult to believe that he knows what he's doing."

The reviewer ends by saying "Somewhat unexpectedly, the Melodifestivalen song "Keep on Walking" is the concert's finest moment. It is not hip and not at all clubby, but has a peculiar atmosphere of moonlight and adventure. It is also the only time in the evening when the ambition coincides entirely with the result. "

What do you think? If you were there, did you agree with any of the points made in this review?

New interview in Helsingborgs Dagblad

Check out this new interview with Salem in Helsingborgs Dagblad: http://hd.se/noje/2010/11/11/det-ar-skont-att-ha-ett-alter-ego/

In the interview with Magnus Ransheim, Salem reveals that he finally got two weeks' vacation, for the first time in ten years!

Salem also talks about receiving the award for the most played song of the year on Swedish radio, and how hearing his music on commercial radio was another part of his 'year-long experiment': he said that while he was in a "bubble" he had rarely heard "Keep On Walking" on the radio, but now he's had more chance to listen, he describes it as 'fairly new and fresh'. As in previous interviews, Salem reiterates how happy he was not to have won Melodifestivalen as he would never have had the time to do all the other things he wanted to do.

Salem enjoyed playing at the gala concert before Victoria and Daniel's wedding, and the interviewer rewinds to an HD interview at the time of the release of "This Is Who I Am", when Salem said it was his dream to play in front of 25,000 people at Malmöfestivalen - and that dream came true this summer: "where we could see if we have done the job right or not, and I can definitely feel pride in what I did at that show....but you increase your dreams and goals all the time".

When asked if he will continue in the electronic/synthpop style of "Ignore This", Salem replied "...I've always liked to sit and tinker with my music....I know myself that I want to do a lot in this direction, I like the sound and want to work further with it."

And as for the "mysterious" Damien Adore, Salem reveals that he produced a song in 2000 and "has done a lot of music which nobody has heard. He appeared on the P3 Guldgalan, but otherwise, it has been very hush hush-around him....the focus has been on his buddy, ha ha ha. Joking aside, it has been very nice to have an alter ego, because it meant that I have been able to write very different things. Now perhaps it is time to see where Damien Adore can go. The sound on "Ignore This" has existed in his name for a couple of years."

Finally, in response to Salem declining to appear on TV4's big hit show ”Så mycket bättre" Salem sets the record straight: "I heard that I would have declined because I was burnt-out. It is interesting that most professions have a five-week vacation. I have a job where you never really can have a vacation, but at the same time, nobody can say that we never get to take a break. I simply didn't have the time."
Glad that he's finally had a holiday after all these years!

Salem's tour starts tomorrow!

Yes it's time for Salem's autumn tour, which kicks off at The Tivoli in Helsingborg tomorrow night. http://www.thetivoli.nu/module.asp?XModuleId=17238&page=detail&NewsId=22523

This also means that Planet Salem is back in action :) so if you are going to any of the upcoming shows I'd like you to send me your comments, reviews, gig pictures, YouTube links....and I will publish them so that they can be shared with all the other Salem fans out there.

I'm particularly interested to hear about Damien Adore's live set, and also if Salem will sing any new songs!

Good luck to Salem and the band for the tour :)))

Blixten & Co competition : win tickets for Salem's Stockholm show!

Blixten & Co is running a competition to win tickets to Salem's show at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm this coming Sunday. To enter, you need to email info@blixten.se and tell them the name of the support act that evening.

If you want to enter, make sure you send your entry to Blixten as soon as possible as the competition closes at 15:00 on Thursday 11th December.

GAFFA-Priset: vote for Salem!

I mentioned this in a previous post http://planetsalem.blogspot.com/2010/11/gaffa-priset-2010.html but in case you missed it, I thought I'd mention it again, especially now that Salem has also mentioned this on his official site and at Facebook today.

Salem is nominated in the 2010 GAFFA-priset so you need to get voting and show your support. Go to http://www.gaffa.se/priset2010 and vote for Salem - the poll is open until the end of November and the winners will be published in the January issue of the magazine.

Salem at Berwaldhallen - 12th December?

From http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/berwaldhallen/program/index.asp?ProgramID=979

Söndag 12 december kl 16.00 och 18.00
LUCIAKONSERT Luciakonsert med Nacka musikklasser Gästsolist: Salem Al Fakir
Biljetter: 80-295 kr

According to Nacka Musikklasser's website http://www.musikklasser.nacka.se/ the concert will feature talented students from the school's 5th to 9th grades. Salem is billed as 'Gästsolist' - does anyone have any more information about this?

Swedish music publishers' awards this Friday

Thanks to Damian for this one!

The Svenska Musikförläggareföreningen (Swedish Music Publishers Association) awards will be taking place at Berns in Stockholm, this Friday, 12th November.

Salem is nominated in the categories of Best Composer and Song of the Year, for "Keep On Walking".

Other nominees in the composer category - Nadir ”RedOne” Khayat, Martin ”Max Martin” Sandberg/Johan ”Shellback” Schuster (who have all had massive international songwriting success), and Oskar Linnros.

Other song of the year nominees: "What’s The Point?” – Johnossi; “Bad Romance” – Lady Gaga (co-written with RedOne); "Från och med du” – Oskar Linnros.

It would be great to see Salem collect one or both awards, however if he doesn't win, then I would like Oskar Linnros to win as he has had an amazing breakthrough this year.

Good luck Salem! :))

"Split My Personality": the Bassflow remake!

Swedish production team Bassflow has been responsible for some excellent 'remakes' over the past few years, for artists/bands including Johnossi, Donkeyboy, Martin Stenmarck, Ola Svensson and my favourite Bassflow remake: "Gloria" by Mando Diao.

Now we can add Salem Al Fakir's name to the list, because there is a great new remake of "Split My Personality" which is now being played on P3. At the moment it's not commercially available but someone has posted it on YouTube. Check it out at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxtCpZMjYB0

Did he say no?

According to this article in Aftonbladet today, http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/article8084128.ab Salem was one of the artists who turned down the chance to appear in TV4's hit new show "Så Mycket Bättre” in which a group of artists take turns to sing each other's songs every week. (The article also claims that Tomas Ledin, Titiyo and Charlotte Perrelli also turned down the show).

I don't know if there is any truth in this article, but it would have been very interesting to see Salem in this show, singing other artists' songs and hearing their versions of his. Of course Salem's versions would be så mycket bättre :)))

New tour starts next Friday!

Yes it won't be long till Salem's latest tour kicks off in Helsingborg on Friday 12th November! If you haven't got your tickets yet, go to http://www.thetivoli.nu/module.asp?XModuleId=17238&page=detail&NewsId=22523

Salem and the band then move on to Mejeriet in Lund next Saturday, 13th November.
Ticket info at http://www.kulturmejeriet.se/index.php/program/salem-al-fakir-damien-adore/

And then next Sunday, 14th November, there is Salem's long-awaited hometown gig at Debaser Slussen in Stockholm - remember this has been moved from Tyrol - more info and ticket booking link at http://www.debaser.se/kalender/5462/

Of course this will be a very special tour as the support act is the legendary Damien Adore, so don't forget to book your tickets if you haven't got them already :) I wonder if Salem (or Damien) will have any new songs in the live set?? We won't have too long to wait to have that question answered!

GAFFA-priset 2010

Hello again everyone - there haven't been so many updates lately due to the lack of news, of course it will all change next week when Salem starts his autumn tour!

In the meantime, here's a new music award - the Swedish music magazine Gaffa is running its own award ceremony, the GAFFA-priset. There will be 12 prizes awarded, in 6 Swedish and 5 foreign categories, where the winners will be voted for by the readers, and also a special editor's prize. You can vote at www.gaffa.se/priset2010 : voting is open until the end of November 2010 and the winners will be revealed in the January issue of the magazine.

Otis!!

Check out http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2024 for pictures of Salem from this morning's Morgonpasset i P3...

...and his new friend Otis! Here he is with Hanna in the studio this morning. Awwww.....

Once again I'd be very grateful if any of you would be able to translate the clips of Salem's interview from this morning's show for me. Many thanks!

It's Salem's birthday tomorrow!

Time to celebrate :))))

I'm sure that you will all join me in wishing Salem a very happy birthday for tomorrow, when he will be 29 years old!

Have a fantastic birthday, Salem - and best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful year ahead.

Morgonpasset....he's back again :))

According to http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?ProgramId=2024 Salem will be back (yet again) on Morgonpasset i P3 this coming Thursday, 28th October.....and he has promised to bring his new cute puppy along to the studio!!!

Awwww!! I hope they post lots of pictures on the website!

Stockholm concert 14th November: venue changed

Via www.salemalfakir.com: the venue for Salem's show on 14th November in Stockholm has been changed. It was scheduled to take place at Tyrol and will now take place at Debaser Slussen. Doors open at 20:00 and Salem will be on stage at 21:00. More information at Blixten & Co's website - http://www.blixten.se/musik/salem-al-fakir/spelningar/20101114-stockholm-debaser-slussen

Sorry for this information being late, I've been out of action with a very bad cold for most of the week so finally catching up!!

"Keep On Walking" in Dansbandskampen!

Thanks to Scandipop (via Twitter) for the info :)

If you ever wanted to hear "Keep On Walking" sung in dansband-style, then you will get your wish tomorrow night :)

Wizex will be performing the song on tomorrow night's "Dansbandskampen" at 20:00 Swedish time on SVT1. The show will be available later via SVT Play and I'll post the link on here when I get it.

1st December

Just one little coincidence which came into my mind this morning - as you know Salem will be playing at the Finnish blog awards on 1st December. I wondered why that date was so special, and then I realised why - Planet Salem will be three years old on that date :))

Other bloggers talking about Salem...

...whilst on the subject of Salem, and blogging, I'd like to mention my good friend Damian who runs the excellent (and regularly updated) blog Swedish Stereo, which you should all visit regularly if you are a fan of Swedish pop music. Today he's written a very nice post about "Split My Personality" and I just thought I'd share it with you. Link: http://swedishstereo.blogspot.com/2010/10/salem-al-fakir-split-my-personality.html

Salem to appear at Finland's Bloggpriset

Via Vasabladet: http://www.vasabladet.fi/Story/?linkID=129909

Salem will be appearing at the Finland-Swedish Bloggpriset gala in Helsinki on 1st December.

More information at http://bloggpriset.ylebloggen.fi/ and also at http://www.peppar.fi/article/Salem-Al-Fakir-sjunger-for-bloggarna

The ceremony will be broadcast live on Radio X3M from 20:00 on 1st December, and also streamed on the internet at http://x3m.yle.fi/

Of course I found this very interesting, being a blogger myself! Maybe Salem (or someone else) will give Planet Salem a mention at the awards :))))

NorraSkåne review of Kristianstad Arena opening

NorraSkåne.se has a review of Friday night's opening concert from the Kristianstad Arena, which took place in front of 4700 fans. http://www.nsk.se/article/20101017/NOJE/710179921/0/*/*/kristianstad-arena-har-oppnat

Reviewer Patrick Leanderson on Salem: "A bearded, bespectacled Salem Al Fakir in a blue knitted hat tries in a somewhat whimsical way to get the crowd rocking. There is singing along in the very first song "Good Song" and a handclapping exercise in "4 O'Clock".We're also offered the rather neglected "All Day Love," which he sang at the festival concert before the royal wedding this summer. And he rounds off with a slightly sloppy version his big hit from Melodifestivalen, "Keep On Walking" where much of the song's orchestration and arrangement disappeared out of the mix."

If you were at the show, do you agree with the reviewer's comments? I thought that was a very good mix of songs old and new, and I'm very happy that he's started playing "All Day Love" which (I hope) will become a regular part of his live set.

And maybe some day, Salem may return to the Kristianstad Arena to play his own live show, if his popularity continues to grow :)

Planet Salem forum reminder

Just a reminder that the Planet Salem Forum is still open for you to chat about anything to do with Salem (and off-topic things too!). Thanks to all of you who have joined and posted so far - I've decided to make the forum a permanent feature on Planet Salem.

If you click the 'Forum' tab (just above the Salem-pictures at the top of the page) it will take you to our messageboard. If you want to chat in Swedish, click on "Planet Salem's Swedish Language Forum".

Tack så mycket, Madelene, for posting this info on Facebook. :))) Much appreciated!

Facebook update

Salem's Facebook-fans total reached 53,000 today.

If you have a Facebook account and haven't already done so, get over to Salem's Facebook page www.facebook.com/salemalfakir and become a fan! As you know, that's the only place where Salem directly communicates with the fans so it's a good way to show your support.

Nassim - lycka till!

Don't forget to vote for Nassim this Saturday night - he will be appearing in the final of TV4's "Dansfeber" this Saturday night, with his brilliant Beyonce routine, dancing to "Single Ladies".

I'm sure you will all join me in wishing Nassim good luck for Saturday night!

Kristianstad Arena opening - this Friday

Don't forget that Salem will be appearing at a gala concert for the official opening of the new Kristianstad Arena, this Friday, 15th October. Also on the bill are Tommy Körberg, Lena Philipsson, Måns Zelmerlöw, Olle Jönsson, and the fabulous 'drum circus' ConRytmo which can best be described as a Swedish variation on the Blue Man Group, only without the blue heads of course :) There is another Salem connection here of course - can anyone tell me if Nisse is still a member of ConRytmo?

There are still some tickets available, please go to https://event.webbiljett.se/kristianstad/step/chooseSection.aspx?edId=4 for more information and booking details.

If you're going, enjoy the show and remember to tell us all about it.

Salem now has 52,000 fans on Facebook!

That is great news. And the numbers continue to grow....

Uppsala: new dates announced

Via http://www.blixten.se/musik/salem-al-fakir

Salem and the band will play Katalin in Uppsala on 27th and 28th December. Get your tickets now! http://www.ticnet.se/salem-al-fakir-biljetter/event/KAU1227 and http://www.ticnet.se/Salem+al+Fakir-biljetter/event/KAU1228

Grammis 2011

It won't be long till the Swedish Grammy Awards nomination process gets underway: in the meantime you can make a note of the date for the awards ceremony - Monday 17th January 2011 at the Kungliga Operan (Royal Opera House) in Stockholm.

Of course I'm expecting lots of nominations for Salem - and hoping that he wins many awards (although it will, as always, be a very tough competition).

"Split My Personality": new single

As mentioned in the Expressen Söndag interview, "Split My Personality" is Salem's new single, however it will be a digital-only release and won't be released physically on CD. It has been sent to radio and is already C-listed on the SR P3 playlist.

Has anyone heard him perform this song live? (I'd be very curious to hear it). Maybe he'll play it on the forthcoming tour, which is only five weeks away.

By the way, I am listening to Rix FM as I type this post and guess what's playing now? "Keep On Walking" of course :)))

Salem's Expressen Söndag interview

OK, credits time first of all: thanks to Alexandra who initially scanned this, and to Eva for sending it to me. I didn't know about the interview so a million thanks to both of you once again.

It's a very nice change from the usual interviews as you learn a few new things about Salem, who is currently on a well-deserved break, recovering from that lengthy summer tour. Salem - I hope you are enjoying your time off!

The autumn tour poster is here at last!

Love it!!! Very psychedelic :)

That will be Miss Anna flying high! And a big hello to any other Planet Salem readers who made it to the poster!

Editorial: The unavailability of Salem's music internationally

From time to time I receive enquiries from Salem fans who live outside Sweden, regarding the availability of his music for legal download.

When I became a Salem fan back in 2007, I was able to buy "Friend" and "Bright Side of Life" from the iTunes store here in the UK. At that time the "This Is Who I Am" CD and "Dream Girl" EP were available to buy on that site - however over the last couple of years they have been removed from iTunes UK and the only Salem songs you can buy on there now are the various Axwell/Ingrosso dance mixes of "It's True".

Over recent months there has particularly been a big demand for "Backseat" and "All Day Love", both of which have not appeared on any of Salem's albums. Yet these songs can't be downloaded legally by fans outside Sweden.

It's very frustrating that people in this country can't legally download his music - it's not available on British sites and you can't download from Swedish sites if you live outside Sweden. The same problem exists for fans in other European countries and North America. And sadly there is no solution to this for the foreseeable future, as there are no imminent plans for Salem's music to be released outwith Sweden/Norway/Finland. :(((

Finally, in response to requests for songs, I would just like to clarify that it is not the policy of this website to share mp3 files so I can't provide this service - sorry.

We can only hope that one day, Salem's music will finally get a high-level international release and promotion to match. I remember reading an interview at the time of Salem's participation in Melodifestivalen, when he commented that he had "given the people what they didn't know they wanted". I think that's a very important comment. People need to be given the opportunity to hear Salem's music, otherwise how will they know if they like it or not?

Do you agree? I think this will be an ongoing debate. Please let me know what you think - your comments are welcome here or in the Planet Salem forum. You can also email me if you want to keep your comments confidential. Thanks!!

Salem's NK appearance yesterday

Salem and the band played at a function in NK in Stockholm yesterday, to celebrate Café magazine's October issue and the launch of the J. Lindeberg book, "The Documentary and a Dream".

There are photos from the event at the following link: of course we are most interested in photos 25 and 26 :)

http://cafe.se/smyglasning-med-cafe-j-lindeberg/

Swedish charts update

Yes it's Friday morning so that means the Sverige Topplistan update...and it's good news as "Ignore This" has re-entered the album chart at no. 36 this week. The album has now spent 27 weeks on the chart.

"Keep On Walking" = Most played song of the year!

6946 good reasons to celebrate today: At the annual Radiogalan which took place on 29th September, "Keep On Walking" took the prize for the year's most played song on Swedish radio. The song has been played 6946 times this year on the radio...almost as many times as I've played it :))

Stort grattis Salem!!! Congratulations and well done! It's very appropriate that the best song of the year is also the most-played.

The second most played song was "Dancing On My Own" by Robyn and third was Darin's version of "Viva La Vida". It proves that in 2010, Swedish radio stations have the best taste in music!

Information courtesy of http://www.salemalfakir.com/ and http://www.radiogalan.se/

New PH3 album on the way

According to this article at http://blog.whoa.nu/2010/09/18/ph3-slapper-skivan-ph3-loser-ett-fall-i-oktober/, rap duo PH3 (made up of Eye N’I and Profilen) will release their latest album "PH3 löser ett fall" on 20th October.

Most of the songs on the album were co-written with a certain Salem Al Fakir, Nils Wallfält and Jakob Birgersson...who also make up PH3's backing band!

"Morgonpasset" - translation wanted!

Request time :)

Would anyone have a translation of Salem's recent appearance on "Morgonpasset i P3"? I listened to the clips from the show at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2024&artikel=4013038 but found it very hard to translate :)

I'd really appreciate it if anyone would be able to email me a translation of the clips from the SR website, and I'll also publish the translation on the blog if that's OK with you.

Tack så mycket!

"It's True": new mash-up mix!

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0SsqBXF-k for a great new mash-up of the Axwell & Ingrosso vs Salem version of "It's True", mixed with the backing track of the new Kylie Minogue song "Get Outta My Way".

The mix is by Ben Double M for www.belgabootlegs.be and I think the two songs work very well together - the result is a very nice, commercial dance track. Enjoy!

Don't be cruel!

Was anyone at the very last night of Mosebacke? This famous Stockholm venue closed for the last time on Saturday 25th September.

I found this video on YouTube tonight featuring a performance last night by the Off Beat Band - another one of Salem's other musical projects of course - with a cover version of Bobby Brown's old hit "Don't Be Cruel", with Salem on lead vocals. Check it out at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYFjb974P84

Off-topic...

Vi gillar olika.

Obviously. It goes without saying....

Join the campaign at http://www.aftonbladet.se/vigillarolika/

Tour dates!!!

Hello again everyone :) I got back this morning from a wonderful holiday in Turkey, although the weather was very hot! So it's good to cool down now :)

Of course you will already know by now that Salem's autumn/winter tour dates have been announced, as follows: (info courtesy of www.blixten.se)

12.11.10 - Tivoli, Helsingborg
13.11.10 - Mejeriet, Lund
14.11.10 - Tyrol, Stockholm
20.11.10 - Sticky Fingers, Gothenburg (2 shows, 16:00 and 21:00)
25.11.10 - Parkteatret, Oslo
26.11.10 - Hulen, Bergen
09.12.10 - Babel, Malmö
11.12.10 - Klubb Molto, Södertälje

One of the most fascinating things about this tour is the support act - none other than a certain Damien Adore!

It was good fun reading this press release, in which Salem talks about his friend Damien....http://www.mynewsdesk.com/se/view/pressrelease/salem-al-fakir-och-damien-adore-paa-turne-tillsammans-477608

I'm off on holiday!

OK everyone, it's time to say goodbye for a little while. I'm off to Turkey tomorrow for a week's holiday, so the blog will be closed for a week and there will be no more updates until Tuesday 21st September.

If you have any information you want to pass on over the next week, please email me or leave your comments and I'll reply to them on my return. I don't want to miss any important news so please keep me updated if there's anything I need to know :))

In the meantime, the forum will remain open so you can "keep on talking" about Salem there :)

I'm going to finish packing my case now....see you all again next week. Bye for now!

/Laura.

Nassim till final !!!!

Grattis Nassim!!!! Yes, he made it through to the final of "Dansfeber" last night thanks to his unforgettable Beyonce "Single Ladies" routine. He didn't just dance like Beyonce, he became Beyonce!!! I've watched this a few times now and it's still so funny every time. I guarantee that you will love it.

Nassim on tomorrow night's "Dansfeber"

Don't forget to tune into TV4's "Dansfeber" tomorrow night - Salem's brother Nassim will be among the contestants and he'll be dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies"! Will he be wearing the Beyonce-catsuit, I wonder ???? :)))

The show airs at 20:00 (Swedish time) and will be available later at TV4 Play: www.tv4.se.

Swedish charts update

"Ignore This" has fallen from no. 36 to no. 47 in this week's Sverige Topplistan album chart :(

Salem's back on Morgonpasset next week!

It's been a while since he's been on the show, but next Wednesday morning Salem will be back on "Morgonpasset i P3" with that crazy crew, Martina, Kodjo and Hanna! More information at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2024

Of course I'll be away on holiday at that time so if any of you have a translation of the interview, this would be very welcome - please email me!!

It's not a Salem gig tomorrow!

Just to clarify that Salem will only be appearing as a guest with the Club Killers band at Hornstull Strand - it will not be a Salem gig after all.

(Apologies if I gave you the wrong idea in my previous post).

Norway?

Does anyone have any more information if Salem's Oslo gig (the one on 17th September which was cancelled) will be rescheduled to a later date, or if Salem has any plans for any more Norwegian shows?

Rockbjörnen video: Linda Sundblad sings "Keep On Walking"

Due to a problem with the internet I missed the start of last week's Rockbjörnen transmission on Aftonbladet's website, therefore I also missed host Linda Sundblad's medley of all the songs nominated for Årets låt - song of the year.

But thanks to Aftonbladet, you can watch this again at http://www.aftonbladet.se/webbtv/noje/article7734919.ab - it's a medley of "Keep On Walking"/"Unstoppable"/"Manboy"/"Nothing Without You"/"Från Och Med Du" sung in a jazzy-lounge style!

Arbetarbladet's Gävle review: do you agree?

Stefan Westrin in Arbetarbladet enjoyed Salem's performance with the Gävle Symfoniorkester yesterday at the reopening of Stortorget, and awarded it three stars: http://arbetarbladet.se/noje/recensioner/pascen/1.2306009-svarflortad-publik-gick-igang-till-sist

It's a frank and honest review and here's a translation of some of it:

"Apart from some fans near the stage, it was a fairly disengaged audience, but Al Fakir did his best to get the mood and when he launched into Good Song from his debut album it began to swing. With the symphony orchestra, it became an ultra-stylish show of soul funk disco that sounded as good as Earth, Wind & Fire... Astronaut offered dramatic strings and and it sounded better than on disc"

"But the quadruple Grammy winner was still fighting the stiff headwind in the audience, although it was loosened in 4 O'Clock...But the grand finale of course is the song that should have won Melodifestivalen: Keep On Walking is a colossal hit and the audience belonging to the upper age group sweeps their hands in the air and look really happy instead of somewhat bored. I can not help but feel a bit sorry for Al Fakir. This is not the most fun audience he encountered. I have seen him at both small and large venues include music festivals and then there has always been good reaction. Gävle Symphony Orchestra put hard work into arranging Al Fakir's songs for orchestra and it is somewhat sad that the only time it received thunderous applause was after the song contest hit. But both he and the orchestra did a good job. He can avoid a free ungrateful audience, and concentrate on playing for people who really want to see him next time he comes to Gävle."

Do you agree with this review? Was the Gävle audience as unresponsive as the reviewer described? If you were at Gävle, tell us your story about the show, and I'd love to read the setlist too!

Salem on "Keep On Walking"....

A nice little interview with Salem, by Stefan Westrin, which he did before his concert at the re-opening of Gävle Torget yesterday. I found it at http://arbetarbladet.se/noje/musik/1.2304500-salem-invigde-det-nya-stortorget
where Salem talks about "Keep On Walking" and its enduring appeal. He revealed that he wrote the song on 19th July 2009.

"I sat with a guitar, played with chords and it was a loop that came up. I recorded it on the phone to remember it; then a few weeks later we went into the studio to record the album, "Ignore This", when I picked it up again. That time I was sitting at a keyboard, and it was there the whole string part and the text came...I wrote the song very quickly".

"I thought it was a song that many would like, so I chose it as the first single. And when Melodifestivalen asked if I wanted to take part as the joker, I was not surprised by the offer, in fact, for they had asked earlier and had I declined. But this time I felt that I had a song that I would actually like to experiment with. They said, "do exactly what you want", and I could do what I always do, and this time in Melodifestivalen.I had not anticipated that it would go so well in the contest....I saw it as an experiment, and I believe that in all successful experiments, you go in with an open mind and try to clear up any preconceptions".

"I sometimes wonder what it is in the song, which appeals to so many....I think there is a simplicity in it that make it easy to absorb....But my particular favorite on the album is actually a different song: "Split My Personality". I hope to be able to play both the songs when I play on the square today".

When I first heard "Ignore This", "Split My Personality" sounded to me like one of the obvious songs which Salem should play live, so I was very surprised when it wasn't part of his live set during the summer tour. (Maybe that's why it's his favourite song, because he doesn't play it all the time? :)))

Anyway, can anyone tell me if Salem played "Split My Personality" in Gävle, as he promised in the interview? I just wondered what it sounded like in the live setting, especially with the backing of the orchestra.

Hornstull this Friday!

Did I say it was all over?

Here's news about another gig!

Salem will be appearing at Club Killers at Hornstull Strand in Stockholm this Friday, 10th September. More info at http://hornstullstrand.se/?p=4958

And now....time for a break!

So, the summer tour is finally over. Over the past few months Salem has toured all over Sweden, bringing his musical magic to the people. If you've seen Salem and the band play live, then you'll know just how special an experience that is, and that the memories will stay with you for a long long time to come.

Salem, Adam, Jakob, Nisse and all the "crew" - thank you for providing the soundtrack to a fantastic summer, and entertaining the audiences in the north, south, east and west of Sweden - and in Finland and Norway too, of course! I hope you all enjoyed the tour and that it was a special summer for you all.

I also want to thank all the readers of Planet Salem for all the comments and emails over the summer, this blog is going from strength to strength and the readership is growing all the time. As I said a few days ago, there probably won't be much news to report for a while so it'll be a bit quieter here, but in the meantime, remember that there is now a forum on this site if you want to chat about Salem! Keep the emails and comments coming too :)

(Planet Salem will be temporarily closed between 13th and 21st September as I'll be away on holiday, but if there's any news you want to pass on between those dates, please email or leave comments and I'll reply to you on my return)

And finally, Salem.....have a good holiday, enjoy the rest of the year and may your creativity continue to flow....looking forward to hearing what you are going to do next!!!

Hugs,
/Laura.

Gävle flash mob

Here's a fun clip from today's Gävle show, when a flash mob started dancing during Salem's set... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7LUrdHXzgY

Gävle on Sunday afternoon

Don't forget that Salem will be appearing at the opening of Gävle Torget at 15:00 Swedish time, on Sunday afternoon - it should be pretty special as he'll be accompanied by the Gävle Symfoniorkester. More info at http://www.gavlesymfoniorkester.se/gs_konserter.php?TemaId=5&KategoriId=&month=0&freetext=&page=&action=detail&id=667

It's going to be very special, as it's Salem's final live show of the summer, and it's a free concert too! So if you are in or around Gävle then get along there and show your support ...and remember to tell us all about it.

Ladies and gentlemen....we have a forum at last!!

Click 'Forum' at the top of the page and it will take you to.....(big fanfare....)

The Planet Salem Forum!!

I've been trying to set this up for a while and finally it's worked for me. Hope it works for all of you too. Feel free to post at any time...you're all very welcome :)

And don't forget that you can still leave comments on all my posts at Planet Salem - click 'Home' at the top of the page to get back to the blog.

Enjoy!

/Laura.

Uppsala Nya Tidning's review of last night's show

Andreas Jakobsson in Uppsala Nya Tidning gives a three-star review of last night's show at Katalin, at http://www.unt.se/kultur/tillstramat-med-fa-spontana-inslag-1031195.aspx

The reviewer highlights that Salem does not appear to be as spontaneous on stage as he used to be, that "the hare-brained ideas are toned down (from three years ago when the reviewer saw two concerts by Salem)...On stage he is concentrating more on music and less on being wonderfully crazy".

At the end of the article the reviewer notes that "As an artist he has generally become more difficult to grasp. He is not the guy who laughs through an entire interview or walks around with a grin on his face all the time anymore. He is more like a mainstream artist who makes unusual music for ordinary people, and often becomes too comfortable where he sits behind the piano...when he presents a little derailment in the ironic "I'm So Happy" there is a longing to come back to the artist who did something unexpected a little too often".

He may not be as "crazy" as he used to be, but I was just wondering about one thing - is Salem still leaping off his piano stool at the end of "Keep On Walking"? (I've seen some video clips on YouTube of him doing this and I get so worried sometimes that he'll get hurt!!)

The tour is almost over....

This weekend, Salem's long summer tour finally comes to an end. It's been great fun all through the summer, writing about the tour, posting your comments and reading your emails.

And after the tour, Salem will now get that well-earned break - he deserves it and of course I hope he takes a nice long "time out" but being the workaholic that he is, it won't be long till he's back at work, as he's mentioned in a few recent interviews that he'll be writing some new music soon. Which is great news for all of us, but I just hope that he gets a good rest before going back to work!

Of course, things will also get a bit quieter here at Planet Salem after next week as there won't be so much to report, but this blog "keeps on walking" :) so if you have any reviews, pictures etc that you would like me to publish on here, please email them to me. Also if you have any ideas for polls and other fun features, please let me know! :)

Tack!!
/Laura.

Swedish charts update

"Ignore This" has dropped from no.27 to no.36 in this week's Sverige Topplistan album chart.

Rockbjörnen photos / Uppsala Nya Tidning interview

A couple of photos of Salem which were taken before last night's award ceremony :)

(courtesy of www.facebook.com/salemalfakir)

(courtesy of http://www.posh24.se/)

Uppsala Nya Tidning has an interview with Salem prior to his first of two sold-out Uppsala gigs at http://www.unt.se/kultur/fran-underbarn-till-utsalda-hus-1029652.aspx

In this interview, Salem discussed his musical childhood and was asked how good he is on the violin and piano: "I'm actually pretty good. I haven't practiced violin for so long but on the piano, I am pretty good at the genre I play, I'm good at adapting and have a good ear".

On his initial success and awards: "I was very happy, but I do not write music to win prizes. I have been going on for so long and it's been such a long process with me. Success is a way to reach out to more people, so I see it as a way towards what I want to achieve".

When asked if he has sacrificed anything, Salem said: "I've put a tremendous amount of time on the job through the years and forgotten about a bit that there is a life also, on the side. I want to invest a bit more in life now. That is what is most important".

Finally, on Melodifestivalen - "... I had a life before Melodifestivalen and think I'll have one afterwards too. And it is a much longer journey. Little things like that are very funny, but they are not the main thing in life...it was a one-time thing".

A review from Katalin will be published tomorrow at www.unt.se. In the meantime, feast your eyes on this very nice picture which was taken at Katalin tonight by Sven-Olof Ahlgren for UNT.

Örebro tomorrow!

Salem will be playing the Ritz nightclub in Örebro tomorrow night, in between his two Uppsala gigs. If you're going - enjoy the show!

Södertälje - 11th December!

From Facebook tonight (thanks Leila & Madelene!)

Good news! Here's a new live date for your diaries. Salem will be playing in Södertälje on 11th December. More info at http://moltolive.nu/salem-al-fakir/

Rockbjörnen

Did you all see the show? It was three hours long.....a bit too long actually, when you consider that there were only a few awards to be given out.

Of course I'm very disappointed that there were no awards for our main man tonight - all I can say is: Salem, you will always be a winner to me, and that will never change! Anyway I'd like to offer my congratulations to Oskar Linnros on his two awards tonight - well done!

Also it was nice to see Salem being interviewed not once but twice - firstly with Nassim and then on his own.

My thanks to all of you who voted for Salem. Next stop, the Grammisgalan :)

Uppsala tomorrow and Saturday

Finally, Salem's long summer tour is now coming to an end. He'll be at Katalin in Uppsala with the band tomorrow night, and again on Saturday night. More info at http://www.katalin.com/

Please note that both gigs are now sold out. Enjoy the shows (if you were lucky enough to get tickets) and remember to tell us about it here :)

Rockbjörnen tonight!!

Tonight's the night.....good luck Salem!!!!

Republished from this morning's Aftonbladet, here's the full running order of tonight's show which starts at 19:55 Swedish time (18:55 UK time).

19.55 Sändningarna från Rockbjörnen börjar!

20.13 Vinnare av Årets svenska låt presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Programledare Linda Sundblad.
Nominerade: Salem Al Fakir – Keep on walking, Oskar Linnros – Från och med nu, Ola – Unstoppable, Mando Diao – Nothing without you och Eric Saade – Manboy.

20.18 Vinnare av Årets konsert presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Markus Larsson.
Nominerade: Tokio hotel, Lars Winnerbäck, Kent, Lady, Gaga och Mando Diao.

20.22 Vinnare av Årets utländska låt presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Linda Sundblad.
Nominerade: Tokio hotel – World behind my wall, Justin Bieber – Baby, Lady Gaga – Bad romance, Lady Gaga – Telephone och Lady Gaga Alejandro.

20.28 Liveakt nummer 1 – The Ark.

21.08 Vinnare av Årets livegrupp presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Carl Bildt och Maria Wetterstrand.
Nominerade: Mando Diao, Kent, Hoffmaestro & Chraa, The Ark och In Flames.

21.14 Vinnare av Årets kvinnliga Liveartist presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Nour El Rafai.
Nominerade: Amanda Jenssen, Melissa Horn, Agnes, Robyn och Anna Bergendahl.

21.16 Liveakt nummer 2 – hemlig artist.

22.07 Vinnare av Årets festival presenteras.
Pristudelare: Jerry Williams.
Nominerade: Arvika, Metaltown, Sweden Rock, Getaway Rock och Peace & Love.

22.14 Vinnare av Årets genombrott presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Tove Styrke.
Nominerade: Eric Saade, Anna Bergendahl, Justin Bieber, Andreas Grega och Oskar Linnros.

22.16 Liveakt nummer 3 – hemlig artist.

22.49 Vinnare av Årets manliga liveartist presenteras.
Prisutdelare: Josephine Bornebusch.
Nominerade: Ola, Eric Saade, Lars Winnerbäck, Oskar Linnros och Salem Al Fakir.

22.51 Liveakt nummer 4 – hemlig grupp.

Cirka 23.00 Livesändningarna från Rockbjörnen är slut för i år.

Wonder if Salem will be among the "hemlig artists"???
Anyway it looks as if it will be a good show, and may the best artists win!