Salem's songs reinterpreted by other artists.....

Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPC5SNCAolY for a new demo by London-based rapper Dreamer. The song is called "It's True" and is based around a sample of the song of the same name.

Kissey Asplund meanwhile has covered "Count Me Out" in a completely different style from the original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsmhqewzVX8

"Kusin Al Fakir": this Friday on SVT2

You'll probably have seen the trailer for this show (but if you haven't, check out this YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP1vVv4VI5w). A documentary film by Johan Jonason, "Kusin Al Fakir" takes a look at Salem's (unknown) cousin, Peter Al Fakir, and his band Knights of the Night which is made up of other members of this endlessly talented musical family. Peter also dreams of the success that his cousin has achieved, and finally gets the chance to achieve some recognition when the band get the chance to be Salem's opening act. According to this article http://svt.se/2.149965/1.2349979/kusin_al_fakir the film explores the differences between Peter and Salem despite their family link, and covers everything from success and jealousy to religion, integration and the overall importance of music. (picture of Peter and Salem is courtesy of http://www.svt.se/) It sounds like a fascinating documentary and a must-see for all fans of Salem and the Al Fakir family. Don't miss it! The film will be screened on SVT2 this Friday night between 20:00 and 21:00 Swedish time, and will be repeated again on SVT2 on Saturday 26th March between 15:15 and 16:15, you'll also get another chance to see it on SVT2 on Tuesday 29th March from 22:45 to 23:45. Of course it should also be available on SVT Play and I'll post the link later. EDIT: there's also an extra clip posted at http://svtplay.se/v/2369968/k_special/extramaterial__snacket_efter_spelningen

Vad är musik? Salem has the answer....

As we all know, Salem Al Fakir is a man of many talents. He will soon be adding "author" to that list! Salem has helped his friend Pontus de Wolfe with writing a book called "Vad är musik?" and it's all about the role that music has played through history. The book will be published in September by Question Books.

Check out Pontus' blog at Nöjesguiden, http://nojesguiden.se/blogs/pontus-de-wolfe/vad-aer-musik

Video clips of Salem and September in Norrköping

If you go to http://vimeo.com/20943905 you'll find some lovely live footage of Salem and September from the 5th March gig at De Geerhallen, Norrköping, with the following songs...

Keep On Walking
Kärlekens Tunga
Dream Girl
All Day Love

Thanks to Livestage TV over at Vimeo.com...and thanks to the ever-wonderful Scandipop for the tip.

Enjoy!!

Salem returns to Finland in July

According to Finnish ticket booking site Tiketti, Salem will be playing the Vaasa Rockfestival (in western Finland); the festival will take place on 15th and 16th July this year. Weekend tickets go on sale this Friday, 18th March and day tickets will go on sale in April. More info at http://www.tiketti.fi/news/6062

The Ark will also be making their final Finnish appearance at this festival, so if you live in Finland it's definitely not to be missed.

I don't have any more information at the moment regarding which day and time Salem will be on stage, but will bring you this info as soon as I get it.

Salem at the Swedish Retail Awards - 15th March

Found some info at this link www.retailawards.se - after the prizes are given out, Salem will be performing at this corporate awards ceremony next Tuesday, 15th March, which will take place at Stockholm City Hall.

March 2009/March 2010: Salem's album anniversaries

I don't know if you will agree with me or not, but this has been the quickest year ever! It feels like no time has passed since the release of "Ignore This", one year ago this week. Of course it was also the week leading up to that Melodifestivalen final! (By the way, are any of you PS readers out there watching this year's contest?)

The memories of March 2010 are still fresh in my mind: the excitement and anticipation of going to Gothenburg (to see Salem for the second time), and the frustrating wait for the album to drop through my letterbox. It was also the month in which I wrote more Planet Salem posts than any other in the history of this blog.

March has been a very important month for Salem fans, as it was in this month in 2009 that "Astronaut" was released. Back then...there was the excitement and anticipation of going to Gothenburg in April (to see Salem for the first time) and the frustrating wait for the album to drop through my letterbox :)

So it feels pretty strange that this year (and particularly this time of year) that there's no album and no trip to Sweden. It all feels a bit empty somehow, particularly as there won't be much to write about on this blog between now and August, but I've got plenty of things to keep me occupied during Planet Salem's break...notably my other blogs EuropeCrazy and EuropeCrazy's Random Ramblings so check them out!

By the way...at the moment, "This Is Who I Am" is at no. 122 and "Ignore This" is at no.135 in the Swedish iTunes album chart, whilst in the singles chart Salem and Josephine's version of "I'm So Happy" is at no.115.

Before I go, I just want to say thanks again to all of you for supporting this blog - and to you, Salem, I hope you have a happy and relaxing break over the next few months and that you get the inspiration you need for your next musical adventure, whenever that may be! And of course Planet Salem will be here for that next exciting chapter of the Salem Al Fakir story. :)

Norrköping review in Folkbladet / Salem in Svensktoppen

There's a very positive review of Salem's Saturday night show in Norrköping, in today's Folkbladet: http://www.folkbladet.se/kulturnoje/artikel.aspx?articleid=5557165

Reviewer Mikael Mjörnberg writes that "the sum is greater than the parts...(Salem) tripping excitedly on stage together with the conductor Hans Ek, and then they spend, the next more than two hours devoted to filling in any gaps and they lift the music a dimension higher. Responsive and challenging....Salem Al Fakir's pop music and the hefty orchestra is simply an equation that goes very well together."

The reviewer did not feel that it worked as well for special guest September: "she did a good job, there's no question about that, but her voice and character does not melt together with the Symphony Orchestra...the feeling is that she sings to the accompaniment of the orchestra rather than becoming part of it."

The reviewer goes on to say: "(Salem) stands for the really spectacular and it creates a whole in a completely different way when he pulls the strings. That his songs make themselves great with the orchestra should be clear by now, but some are obviously better than others...Salem sings beautifully and Hans Ek has made excellent arrangements for most of the songs."

"Hans Ek bounces like an excited football fan on the conductor's podium. He manages to sneak in some Ennio Morricone in the show and in the middle of the second act there's even an incomparable orchestral version of the old theme music to "Das Boot" (as the majority of humanity, of course, rather know as techno hit by German U96 with the same name from 1991...it is very heavy in comparison to Salem's otherwise pretty neat song material, but it's very good. That said, Salem Al Fakir and symphony orchestra fill in each other's gaps. The boundaries between the orchestra and gathering rock concert blur and then the sum is naturally greater than the parts".

In other news, "Split My Personality" is the highest new entry in this week's "Svensktoppen" on SR P4. A little interview snippet on http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2023&artikel=4366360 :"...my girlfriend complains right now because we never listen to any music any longer, as I'll soon get started writing new music. But I have just become a dog owner, a small puppy named Otis, so the plan is that I'm going to start working when he sleeps!". Of course Otis probably isn't so small anymore!!

Norrköping tonight!

There's a fabulous night ahead for all you lucky people who are going to Salem's concert at the Louis De Geer hall in Norrköping.

As you know, it'll be another orchestral collaboration. This time Salem and the band will be performing along with the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Hans Ek. There will also be a very special guest appearing tonight - none other than Petra Marklund a.k.a. September.

Petra and Salem are interviewed in today's Folkbladet: http://www.folkbladet.se/kulturnoje/artikel.aspx?articleid=5555902

Petra said: "Salem is such a talented artist and musician. With Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hans Ek, it became an attractive proposition. I could only say yes".

The interview states that "....(Salem) defends himself against being called "ambassador for classical music". Salem works instead to tear down the wall between classical music and popular music. He does not care about genres."

Salem: "Collaborations with orchestras are extremely fun......the orchestra is very involved, and we are as a single band. It will be a fairly long concert, we realized yesterday". When asked about working with Petra, Salem said "She is really nice and it feels great to be working. Then I play music again. I like to just play the piano and not always sing".

The interview also mentions a previous live visit to Norrköping for the "Munken In The Park" summer show: "...it is an event he remembers with particular horror - and that was important in the sense that he has learned from it.

Salem: "I forgot a lot of the lyrics. We had a crisis meeting afterwards. I had problems with concentration and was not happy afterwards. It was an insight. I fought hard after that to get the lyrics completely right".

Remember to get in touch - reviews, comments, set lists, photographs are all very welcome and I'll publish as many as I can.

Salem - good luck with the show!

This will be Salem's last show in Sweden until August, when he appears at Dalhalla - so I hope all of you have a very special night :))

"I'm So Happy" - new single!

These are very quiet times on Planet Salem, but today, from out of nowhere, comes a new single!

Not a new song of course; by now it's an old favourite, but it's a new version of "I'm So Happy" - this time as a duet between Salem and Josephine Bornebusch. Josephine is one of the stars of the massive Swedish hit TV comedy "Solsidan" and of course "I'm So Happy" is the theme tune to the show, so I guess it makes sense to put the two together :)

It's available to download from iTunes at the following link:
http://itunes.apple.com/se/album/im-so-happy-single/id421621772

The only other snippet of news I have today (thanks to Madelene for the tip, via Facebook) is that Adam, Jakob and Nisse appeared as backing band for another of my favourite Swedish artists, September, when she performed "Resuscitate Me" on SVT's "Go'kväll".

Link: http://svt.se/2.151820/musiken_i_go_kvall

Problem with Salem's MySpace page.

I previously mentioned a mix-up about a gig mentioned on Salem's MySpace page....well it's still there, along with some other gigs too - in Detroit, New York , Philadelphia and Strasbourg. These gigs are actually by the American band named Salem, and not Salem Al Fakir.

I don't know how this has happened, but could someone please fix this problem? Maybe Salem should change his MySpace page back to www.myspace.com/salemalfakir in order to avoid this happening again.

Morgonpasset pics

Salem and Otis were back in the Morgonpasset studio again on Friday morning. Here are some pictures, courtesy of Sveriges Radio, and check out more pics and clips from the show at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2024.

"Ignore This" is back in the Swedish album chart

OK it's only no. 52 in the Sverige Topplistan, but welcome back anyway :)

I guess this was after the excellent episode of "Dom Kallar Oss Artister" on SVT1 last week!

Salem's back on Morgonpasset i P3 again this Friday!

Don't forget to tune into Morgonpasset i P3 on Friday 11th February for yet another appearance by Salem, who seems to be on this show almost as much as the hosts these days :)

Info: http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2024&artikel=4341874

One year ago, on a Saturday night in 2010....

Helsinki: watch the gig all over again!

Good news!! Last night's Korjaamo show is available to watch again for the next 7 days at http://arenan.yle.fi/video/1665001

"Chain Gang"

In case you haven't seen/heard it yet, here's Salem and friends with their great cover version of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" from Monday night's "Dom Kallar Oss Artister". Sweet, soulful vocals and reggaefied rhythms. Enjoy!

Salem's gig in Korjaamo, Helsinki: review

Did you all hear it??? What a fabulous show!

The gig began at 8.00pm UK time - 10.00pm in Finland. The band were all on stage, but one important member was missing :) After an enthusiastic introduction by the presenters, the band launched into the familiar intro of "Part Of It" which appears to have replaced "Red Rock" as the opening number. Eventually Salem entered the stage to a very warm reception from the audience, who appeared to be a mixture of the devoted, the enthusiastic and the curious.

As befits his now-official status as Sweden's best dressed man, Salem was as stylish and handsome as ever, dressed in a dark suit, dark tie and white shirt with of course his usual braces. His hair has also grown a little since his recent haircut too, and I'm quite happy about that. The guys were also as well dressed as ever - they really are a smart looking crew, aren't they!

Anyway enough talk about the very appealing visual aspects of the show...let's talk about the music which is the most important thing!

As I said earlier, "Part Of It" kicked off the show, with pre-recorded backing vocals in addition to the live band, although I thought this worked very well in a live context. I liked Salem's hand gesture when he sang that famous line "tell your friends how big....", however he appeared pretty restrained during this song, putting extra concentration into his vocal performance. The electronic loop running through the song then cleverly segued into a new version of the ever-popular and anthemic "It's True" (which I guess he played during his recent club tour). Mixing rock and dance influences, I thought this was a particularly impressive version of the song. Of course, Salem being Salem, he mixed up the first and second verses of the song. Aah, he never disappoints ;) Anyway what did surprise me was its inclusion at such an early stage in the set, as we're probably more used to hearing it towards the end.

Next came the return of "Twelve Fingers" of course one of my favourite Salem songs and always a welcome addition in the live set. Again slightly reworked with a new keyboard line running through it: a good version - but being completely honest here, it's probably not my favourite version of the song. Of course that's just my own personal taste and I'm sure many of you will disagree! Again he got the first and second verses of the song mixed up but we expect that by now!!

A more traditional version of "It's Only You (Part II)" came next, which immediately was recognised by many in the audience, right from the opening notes onwards. I particularly liked Salem and Adam's joint vocals on the "if you ever will be mine" part of the song.

Then Salem removed his tie! He told the audience about the last time he tried to get to Helsinki for a gig, and of course we all know how that turned out :( however we're so happy that he's here, he is here, it makes us happy! Which is a cue for a song....the new version of "I'm So Happy" to be precise, which is built around a rolling guitar riff and Adam is certainly the star of this song. The new version brings a further contrast to a song which always had a strong contrast to start with: the original's bitter lyrics against the happy singalong melody, but as I said in a previous post on here, there is now a sad, regretful feel to the new version. Nevertheless it doesn't stop the crowd singing along.

Tonight I was paying particular attention to the band's performance as a whole. On the two occasions I've been to see Salem live, the first time was his previous band line-up, then the second time was the current line-up but with the orchestra, so I just realised tonight that I'd never actually watched a Salem concert with his current band line-up, playing a 'band gig' I guess! Of course it goes without saying that they are an extremely tight, well-rehearsed and accomplished group of musicians, who provide a consistently reliable musical backing to the main man himself.

One song added to the live set in the recent club tour was "This Is For" which again relied strongly on pre-recorded vocal backing tracks however worked very well with live instrumentation. (In a similar vein, I had hoped to hear "Bloody Breakfast" tonight, which was featured in the club tour. Oh well, maybe some other time). Anyway Salem removed his glasses, and the band launched into the album version of current single "Split My Personality". I thought the song might have been reworked slightly in the style of the highly acclaimed Bassflow remix, but it still worked very well particularly in this band-version.

Salem put his glasses back on...however later on in the set he removed his glasses again and also removed his jacket, to reveal the very familiar braces - Salem's trademark style!

"Astronaut" was also very well-received - I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Finnish fans were so familiar with his pre-"Ignore This" material. Not really much to say about this song except that it was brilliant as usual.

Followed by "Good Song" which as if you need reminding, is my favourite of all Salem songs. I tend to be a little more critical of my favourite songs if the live versions are anything less than perfect: no need for criticism here though, as Salem's vocals were jazzy and soulful as ever, I liked the vocal harmonies on the chorus, and musically it was just spot-on, with a dazzling synth solo by Salem. He may be more restrained now in his live performances, but there were still the occasional moments tonight when he went into "mad-professor" mode, throwing himself over the keyboard or staring upwards into the air, or headbanging.

One of the main highlights for me tonight was "4 O'Clock", which was based on the Adrian Lux remix of the song, which is probably my favourite version of it. Again the crowd loved this one too.

By this point the crowd were completely eating out of Salem's hand and they welcomed "Roxy" like an old friend. . Even this song got a little dance-makeover with new little keyboard lines running through it.

And finally....what else but "Keep On Walking" to close the show, which was rapturously received by everyone at Korjaamo. He's bound to be sick of singing this song by now, but you wouldn't know it as he still puts his heart and soul into every single performance of it, making it sound as fresh as it was when we first heard it in full, some 362 days ago if I remember correctly :)

Salem, Nisse, Jakob and Adam then took their bows and left the stage, but the very appreciative audience wanted more, as we all did! I think the presenter said something like "scream if you want him back" and boy, did they scream. The band came back on stage for one more number, an energetic "Virgin Mary" which was a foot-tapping and fabulous end to the evening.

Unfortunately that really was the end, no more encores. Still I guess that Salem and the band could play for four hours, but we'd still be sad when it ended; however you also have that exhilarated feeling at the end of a Salem show, with the realisation that you've been part of a truly special experience.

Salem Al Fakir remains a charismatic and outstandingly talented artist and this terrific show just proved, yet again, that he is the very best, backed by an excellent band who just get better and better at everything they do. Thank you all for a wonderful night, and thanks to YLE for webcasting the show worldwide so that we were all able to see it :))

Svenska Talande Klubben tonight!

Are you ready...????

Go to http://yle.fi/extrem/radio/ for the live stream of tonight's Radio X3m 'Svenska Talande Klubben' broadcast live from Korjaamo in Helsinki. Father McKenzie are now on stage, and Salem and the band will be on stage at approximately 22:00 Finnish time/21:00 Swedish time/20:00 UK time.

Are you all as excited as I am????

By the way....if you go to http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38268-Vad-gor-Salem-med-ett-handfat-och-24-liter-dricka you'll find an article and brief video interview with Salem about his band's backstage rider. Which includes water, a washbasin and a wastepaper basket. Very rock n'roll :))))

There's also an article at http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38275-Soundcheck-med-Salem about the soundcheck and a little photostream too.

Introducing...Father McKenzie!

From time to time on Planet Salem I like to feature other acts who are in some way connected with Salem. Tonight I thought I'd feature the band who are supporting Salem in Helsinki tomorrow, they're called Father McKenzie, and they are a mixture of Swedes and Swedish-speaking Finns, who are based in Örebro.

I found this post (dated 11th January) on their blog at http://www.fathermckenzie.se/ and I thought you might like this part of it: "Yesterday I got an e-mail from Svenska Talande Klubben in Helsinki and they asked us to be the supporting act for Salem Al Fakir (!!!!!!!). This is amazing news for us since Salem Al Fakir has always been one of our greatest Idols and role-models. The event will take place on the 2nd of February in Helsinki. Don´t miss it!!!!!"

They also have something else in common with Salem, as they are also competing in a national song contest...not Melodifestivalen but the 2011 Finnish Euroviisut, with "Good Enough", a high-quality pop song which definitely lives up to its name. The good news is that the band have made it through to the final, so I'd like to wish them all the best!



Check out www.fathermckenzie.se for more of their songs. If you like the intelligent piano-pop style of acts like Keane and Coldplay then I think you will like Father McKenzie too.

Helsingfors!

Salem will finally play that long-awaited gig at Korjaamo in Helsinki tomorrow, Wednesday 2nd February, as part of Radio X3m's Svenska Talande Klubben series. If you remember, he was due to play there on 1st December, however he was unable to make it in time because he was stuck at the airport: http://yle.fi/extrem/artikel/musiknoje/38249-Salem-klar-for-Finland so here's hoping he has better luck this time!

The programme will be broadcast live at http://yle.fi/extrem/ tomorrow from 20:00. This is the part where I get a bit confused: I guess this is Finnish time, which will mean it starts at 19:00 Swedish time, and 18:00 UK time? Of course Salem won't be on stage till later, and I'll bring more information nearer the time and a little bit of live-blogging too, as I'll be sitting in front of the computer, listening to the show. It will probably the only time that many of us will get to hear Salem play live again this year, so it's even more important that we all tune in. Or if you're a Salem fan and you live in or around Helsinki, show your support and get along to Korjaamo for what will be a great night. As usual, if you're going - enjoy the show and remember to tell us all about it. I'd like to hear from more of Salem's Finnish fans as I know there are a lot of you out there!

Dom Kallar Oss Artister

I hope you all enjoyed watching Salem, his band, crew and friends on last night's "Dom Kallar Oss Artister" on SVT1. If you missed the show, or if (like me) you just want to watch it over and over again, go to http://svtplay.se/t/102920/dom_kallar_oss_artister - it will be available to watch until 2nd March.

There were so many highlights in this 'behind the scenes' show - breakfast with Salem, old video footage, travelling to Gävle (good to see Mankan again too!), sharing his musical memories, getting ready for the orchestra show with Hans Ek, then getting some much-needed relaxation on the boat, travelling through those beautiful Stockholm waterways ...and finally, to close the show, a brilliant cover version of Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang" with his all-star band (featuring some very familiar faces if you're a Salem fan). It's great to hear Salem singing someone else's song for a change - one more reason why I really want him to do "Så mycket bättre" at some point in the future.

Of course it goes without saying that Salem was as charming and funny as ever, and his lovely personality shone through as always. I'm sure he'll have won many new fans after watching this show.

(Salem picture above is courtesy of Henrik Crona/SVT)

Salem (Al Fakir) is NOT playing in Glasgow in February.

Thanks Eva for the link to the Rix FM interview
http://www.rixfm.com/webbradio/frameset.php?type=audio then click 'Eftermiddagar'.

During this interview, Salem was asked if he would be playing in Glasgow and he denied this.

I just want to clarify tonight that Planet Salem was not responsible for this story, but I reported it on a previous post here initially because it came from Salem's own MySpace page (www.myspace.com/salem) where the gig was listed in the upcoming shows/events section. (By the way, the show is still listed on that web page).

Just so you know :)

Don't forget to watch "Dom Kallar Oss Artister" tomorrow night!

The programme will be shown on SVT1 at 20:30 Swedish time and later on the web on SVT Play - I'll post the link tomorrow night.

Enjoy the show - and remember you can leave your comments about it here.

"Split My Personality" is Song of the Day on Popjustice!

One of the biggest and most influential pop blogs in the UK, Popjustice, has chosen the Bassflow remix of "Split My Personality" as its Song of the Day: http://www.popjustice.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5233&Itemid=279

That's great news of course - although I don't agree with their description of the original version as "a bit like crap Erik Hassle", but I guess we are all entitled to our own opinion :)

Anyway, at least it will bring the song to the attention of a wider audience.

Dom Kallar Oss Artister: sneak peek

SVT now has some clips from the eagerly-awaited first episode of "Dom Kallar Oss Artister" which will be broadcast next Monday night on SVT1 at 20:30 Swedish time...and hopefully later on SVT Play so that all of us Salem fans living outside Sweden can watch it too. The programme will take a look behind the scenes of Salem and the band's last gig of the summer tour in Gävle, and will also take a journey with him out on his boat.

Go to http://svt.se/2.135508/dom_kallar_oss_artister?lid=20110131&lpos=SVT1_0000_sitelink&from=tabla and you'll find the trailer and links to clips from the show.

This looks as if it's going to be a very promising series featuring some great Swedish artists - of course the first show will feature the best artist of them all :))

Salem in Falun this Thursday

According to http://www.stjarngalan.com/program.aspx, Salem will be one of the special guests at this business awards ceremony which will take place this Thursday at the Falu-Kuriren Arena in Falun.

Salem's MySpace Glasgow gig mystery???

Late last night I found out some information which briefly sent me into a state of extreme happiness and euphoria. On Salem's MySpace page, www.myspace.com/salem, it says that he will be playing a live show in Glasgow on 17th February.

For a brief moment, it felt like all my dreams had come true - Salem Al Fakir, playing in Scotland, in my local, favourite, city. At last.

However, I don't think this is true. For there are also a couple of other bands out there who are also called Salem - I mentioned this in a previous post in 2009 http://planetsalem.blogspot.com/2009/08/whats-in-name.html and I think it may be one of them. When scrolling down Salem Al Fakir's MySpace page and you reach the Music (Albums) section, there are a couple by one of the other Salems, but when you go to the Music (Playlist) section, you find 'our' Salem. So there is a problem with the MySpace page.

Also , when checking other websites which also mention the gig, they just mention that Salem is appearing, rather than Salem Al Fakir. So, for all these reasons, I don't think he will be coming to Glasgow this time. (But I wish he would!!)

Am I right or wrong? Can anyone tell me if 'our' Salem is coming to Glasgow or not?

No awards for Salem tonight :(

He may not have won anything at the Grammis tonight - but the competition was very strong this year, so congratulations to all the winners!

And one thing never changes - Salem, we love you, and you will always be a winner to us!!

Good luck Salem at the Grammis!

I'm just posting this now as I won't be around till late tomorrow night, and I'm not allowed to blog from my computer at work any more :(

Anyway I just want to wish Salem all the very best for Monday night's Swedish Grammis ceremony where he is nominated in the 'best song' and 'best male artist' categories.

Lycka till!

"I'm So Happy" in "Solsidan"

The very popular TV4 programme "Solsidan" is back for a new season, and the title theme song is none other than the la-la-la la-la-la-la riff from "I'm So Happy".

Congratulations Salem - Sweden's best dressed man :)))

Salem was named Sweden's best dressed man of 2010, by fashion magazine Elle at the annual Ellegalan awards which took place in Stockholm on 14th January. Congratulations Salem - I've always thought you were the best dressed man in Sweden, so it's about time you officially got the prize :)

Lots of coverage of the Ellegalan on the internet, so check out the following links:

Expressen's video interview with Salem and September (Petra Marklund), another of my favourite Swedish singers who was named best dressed artist: http://tv.expressen.se/noje/1.2291069/salem-och-september-prisade

Expressen's interview with Salem and September: http://www.expressen.se/mode/1.2291278/september-om-elle-priset-jag-blev-skitglad

Stureplan.se's red carpet pictures:
http://stureplan.se/bilder/event/2011/01/14/elle-galan-2011

Rodeo magazine's interview:
http://rodeo.net/blog/2011/01/elle-galan-intervju-arets-bast-kladda-man-salem-al-fakir/
In this interview, Salem describes his fashion style as "simple, stylish and elegant". He says there's a big difference in his on-stage clothing and his everyday wear, which is more casual, particularly since he became a dog-owner! He goes on to say that there's no point in being stylish if you're sitting on a tour bus for 6 hours, but he's had some opportunities to dress up over the past year. Salem has also had the opportunity to work with designers that he really admires, but he wouldn't say that he follows trends.

Salem went on to say "It feels quite anxious to be named this year's best dressed man. I will not be able to go outside the door anymore but to reflect on this accolade...especially in Sweden, which is such a well-dressed country that you could go outside the door and find ten people who deserve this award".

But you deserve it most of all Salem, so... well done!

EDIT 16.01.11: Interview and a nice picture of Salem with September at http://www.qx.se/Xtra/attityd/16420/de-klar-sig-bast-i-sverige

Posh24.se has red carpet coverage of the Ellegalan including a picture of Salem and Caroline:

http://www.posh24.se/salem_al_fakir/ellegalan_2011

...and check out this picture of Salem on Daniel Lindström's blog for Cafe magazine : http://daniel.cafe.se/elle-galan-2011/elleg9/

Melodifestivalen: the last word

I promised not to mention the "M" word on Planet Salem again, but I couldn't help it one last time after reading the news about the changes in the voting system at Melodifestivalen 2011, Swedish juries will be axed in favour of international juries and televoting. According to this article at Aftonbladet today, http://www.aftonbladet.se/nojesbladet/melodifestivalen2011/article8393449.ab if the new system had been used at Melodifestivalen in 2010, "Keep On Walking" would have won.

Salem's songwriting tips on P3 Star!

According to this article on the P3 Star website, http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2907&artikel=4284433 P3 Star's songwriting school will be starting, with Salem and Linda Sundblad passing on some songwriting tips on the next show on 15th January.

You can hear the programme on P3 this Saturday from 1403-1600 Swedish time and later at the P3 website. Don't miss it!

Vote for "Keep On Walking" in the Swedish Grammis!!

One week from tonight the Grammisgalan will take place in Stockholm. Voting in the 'årets bästa svenska låt' category is still open at http://www.expressen.se/noje/musik/1.2251582/rosta-pa-din-svenska-favoritlat-under-2010 so don't forget to vote for "Keep On Walking".

Voting closes at midnight next Sunday night - so rösta, rösta, rösta! And pass it on....tell all your friends to vote too! Salem has the best fans in the world, so we need to show our support more than ever, because he deserves this award so much.

Salem (and Otis) on Mix Megapol and The Voice this morning

"Äntligen Morgon" returned to the Mix Megapol airwaves this morning - and the first guest of 2011 was none other than Salem, who brought along a very special visitor: Otis, who is now 20 weeks old!

Pictures courtesy of http://www.mixmegapol.se/:


Nice :)

Salem and Otis also dropped in to "Vakna med The Voice" and here's a picture of Otis from their website - http://www.thevoice.se/on-air/vakna/item/8858-se-salem-al-fakirs-nya-kärlek

Last chance to vote in the P3 Guld awards!!

You only have an hour and a half left to vote for "Keep On Walking" in the Sveriges Radio P3 Guld awards - voting closes at midnight tonight Swedish time!

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=3964&artikel=4226387

Good luck Salem :))) hope you win - you deserve it!

"Split My Personality" - Rix FM Veckans Hitvarning!

I'm a regular listener to Rix FM - it's one of my favourite Swedish pop radio stations and it just got better, with the news that "Split My Personality" has been chosen as the station's first "Veckans Hitvarning" of 2011. This means that the song will get lots of airplay on Rix FM! http://www.rixfm.com/musik/veckans-hitvarning

Hopefully the song will get lots of airplay on other radio stations too...talking of which, SR P4 recently published its list of its most played songs of 2010 - and "Keep On Walking" was the second most played song on the station last year. ("Monday Morning" by Melanie Fiona was no.1). http://radionytt.se/nyheter/?p=6580

One final piece of radio news - Salem will be the special guest on Mix Megapol's "Äntligen Morgon" which returns on Monday 10th January. http://www.mixmegapol.se/on-air/antligen-morgon

No iTunes Christmas present for me :(

I hope you all managed to get the free iTunes download today.

Unfortunately, as I predicted, it was not available over here for those of us with a UK iTunes account :(

This would have been a great opportunity to promote Salem to a worldwide audience, however I notice that various countries are offering different downloads by different artists so I guess that it wasn't going to happen this time.

I also noticed on iTunes tonight that "Ignore This" is one of the featured albums on the iTunes homepage in Sweden, Norway and Finland. This will probably have helped the album to climb the iTunes album charts again in Sweden (currently at no. 24) and in Norway (no.61)

Trettondagskonsert - Jönköping, Wednesday and Thursday

Salem will be appearing at the Jönköping Concert Hall on 5th and 6th January along with the Jönköpings Sinfonietta under the direction of Hans Ek. Also on the bill is the soprano Maria Keohane. The shows are billed as "Musik över Gränserna" which is very appropriate as when it comes to Salem's music, there are no boundaries of course :)

Both concerts begin at 16:00. If you haven't already got your ticket then I think there are still tickets available so don't miss out - there won't be many opportunities to see Salem play live this year, and this should be a very special show.

If you are going to any of the concerts, remember to leave your comments here and tell us what you thought of the shows.

"Keep On Walking" - or should that be "Keep On Waltzing"???

"Keep On Walking" is a fantastic song, you will all agree. And it is a very versatile song too....not only has Salem performed many different versions of the song, but various Swedish television shows have also used the song over the past year - sung by a choir (Körslaget), and performed by a dansband (Dansbandskampen).

Now get ready for the new series of TV4's "Let's Dance" which starts this Friday, 7th January. Denise Rudberg and Tobias Wallin will be dancing the waltz to "Keep On Walking", now that should be interesting :)

Gott Nytt År !

As 2010 is almost over I would like to wish all the readers of Planet Salem a very happy new year, and thanks again to each and every one of you for your friendship, support and assistance over the past year.

2010 has been a fantastic year to be a Salem Al Fakir fan....so many amazing things have happened, which I already mentioned in my 3rd anniversary post http://planetsalem.blogspot.com/2010/12/planet-salem-is-three-years-old-today.html however I just wanted to mention again that Salem has brought me so much happiness through his music this year. Thank you, Salem, for making 2010 so special. Stora kramar och god hälsa, lycka och framgång i allt du gör under det kommande året!

It has been an amazing year for Salem, of course...so it's also been an amazing year for this blog. I've put a lot of work into doing Planet Salem over the last 12 months, and it's taken up a lot of my time, but it has been an absolute pleasure to write every word.

And as for 2011? Well, it'll be a lot quieter of course - but Planet Salem never closes, so this blog will continue to report on all his musical adventures. At the moment, I've given up on the possibility of Salem's music ever being released outside Scandinavia. But maybe someday?? One thing's for sure - Salem's international fanbase is growing, and we will always want his music! So why are most of Salem's videos on http://www.youtube.com/user/salemtv/ blocked again? All you get is the message "This video contains content from Vevo, who has blocked it in your country on copyright grounds"? I need to know - after all, if Salem's music isn't being released internationally, why are we being denied the the opportunity to watch his videos?

In the meantime, don't forget to keep on voting for "Keep On Walking" in the P3 Guld awards http://sverigesradio.se/cgi-bin/p3/p3guld/index.asp and in the Grammis http://www.expressen.se/noje/musik/1.2251582/rosta-pa-din-svenska-favoritlat-under-2010 ....and keep voting for "Split My Personality" in the Mix Megapol topp 20 http://www.mixmegapol.se/musik/mix-topp-20

Happy new year everyone!

"Live @ Katalin" free on iTunes - 4th January

iTunes is currently running a "12 Days of Christmas" promotion where they are giving away free songs, EPs and games between 26th December and 5th January.

What really got me excited was the free giveaway on the 4th of January - Salem live @ Katalin. I guess it will probably be "Keep On Walking" and "It's Only You (Part II)" if this link is anything to go by: http://itunes.apple.com/se/album/live-katalin-single/id408029662

I'm not sure if these songs will only be available or on iTunes worldwide - what a great opportunity this would be to introduce a worldwide audience to Salem's music. I'll let you know on 4th January if I was able to get my free downloads :)

EDIT 30.12.2010: those of us outside Sweden probably won't be able to get this download: I tried to get the Tove Styrke one tonight but it wasn't available because I don't live in Sweden :(((

UNT's review of Salem in Uppsala - 27th December

In his review at http://www.unt.se/kultur/konsert/skojfrisk-salem-med-ljudeffekter-1175557.aspx Stefan Warnqvist awards three stars to the first of Salem's two shows at Katalin in Uppsala.

The reviewer noted a "special chemistry" between Salem and the Uppsala audience, as he sold out two gigs there in the summer and performed an almost sold out gig last night, which the reviewer described as "...a spirited celebration. Al Fakir gave us hit after hit and was greeted by singing along with almost every song. The tempo was high and enthusiasm on stage was both tangible and contagious. Visually, it was spartan. Al Fakir recently had a haircut and has grown a moustache, but otherwise he was content with Katalin's usual simple decor. But his own charisma was enough."

When it came to the new songs from "Ignore This", the reviewer said: "They went to Katalin and made the songs more danceable, but it sounded mechanical with a dated '80s feel. The versatility that otherwise characterizes Al Fakir's music also went into the background behind all the sound effects. The song "Split My Personality" was with its slower tempo and melodic guitar loops, a welcome contrast. This gave more space for the soulfulness of Al Fakir's distinctive voice."

The reviewer went on to say : "The set ended with a brilliant version of "Keep on Walking" and the jubilation afterwards knew no bounds. The song stood out already in Melodifestivalen and the high energy of Katalin gave it a stronger nerve and intensity."We have not prepared anything," joked Al Fakir when he and his musicians came back for the encore. The audience were asked what they wanted to hear and the choice fell on "Good Song", the big hit from his debut album." The reviewer ended: "..the bottom line: an energy-fuelled and spirited show, but with too many synth layers. Maybe next time Salem Al Fakir might like to cut down on the pre-programmed sound effects".

If you were there, do you agree with this review? Let me know what you think.

Salem on Morgonpasset i P3 today

Salem returned to the Morgonpasset studio this morning and if you haven't heard the show yet you can check out the clips at http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2024

As usual, if any of the Planet Salem readers would be able to translate the interview clips for me than I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Here are a couple of photographs from this morning's show, courtesy of Sveriges Radio.

Above: Salem with Hanna. Nice hats :)

Of course you will notice that Salem has had his hair cut. I had a feeling this might be happening, as he had spent the last couple of months hiding his hair under his woolly hat!

If any of you are going to Uppsala tonight and/or tomorrow, let me know what you think of his new look.

UNT's interview with Damien Adore / Uppsala tonight and tomorrow

The "mystery man" with the moustache is supporting Salem at his gigs tonight and tomorrow at Katalin, Uppsala. Damien has given what he says is his first and last interview, to Uppsala Nya Tidning, and you can find it at http://www.unt.se/kultur/damien-adore-avslutar-forbandsturn-1173762.aspx along with a nice picture of the man himself. I love that costume! ;)

The interview took place in Gothenburg last month when Damien supported Salem at the Sticky Fingers club. He said that he's been involved in the music industry for 10 years, but mostly as a producer. It wasn't until the P3 Guldgalan back in January 2010, when he revealed himself "...I have not had any need to be visible externally". He said that his musical inspiration comes from "himself"!

Damien said there will be a debut album "when the time is right." Hoping we won't have to wait too long!!

As I mentioned earlier, Salem and Damien are playing their final shows of 2010 tonight and tomorrow at Katalin in Uppsala. I'm sure that all the "regulars" will be there and as ever, I'd love to hear what you thought of the shows - remember to leave your comments here!

God Jul!

Hi everyone...

I just want to wish all the readers of Planet Salem a very merry Christmas...hope you all have fun over the festive season! Hugs to all of you and thanks for making 2010 such a special year for this blog :))

Salem...love and and best wishes to you, hope you have a great Christmas....och tack för en fantastisk och oförglömlig år! Hoppas vi ses snart igen :))))

Salem will be back on Morgonpasset i P3 this coming Monday, 27th December so don't forget to tune in!! http://sverigesradio.se/sida/default.aspx?programid=2024

New interview....

Found a nice new interview with Salem today at http://halsa.msn.se/6393/image/3 where he talks about the past year, and about what he's doing at Christmas.

Vara Konserthus show cancelled / Finnish festival in 2011

The show at Vara Konserthus scheduled for 18th March has been cancelled. http://www.ticnet.se/search.php?tm_link=tm_homeA_header_search&language=sv&keyword=salem+al+fakir

Ticnet also reports on that page that Salem will be appearing at the Popkalaset festival in Tammisaari, Finland, on 18th June 2011. http://www.lippupalvelu.fi/Popkalaset-biljetter/event/BGR1806A although I haven't been able to find any more information about this.

Salem playing in Helsinki on 2nd February 2011

Via http://yle.fi/extrem/program/program_inlagg.php?id=44832 some news about Salem's rescheduled Helsinki gig, which will now take place at Korjaamo in Helsinki on 2nd February 2011 at 20:00.

This is part of Radio X3M's 'Svenska Talande Klubben' series - tickets are 12 euro and available via www.tiketti.fi.

The show will be broadcast live on Radio X3M and streamed live on the internet - I'll bring more information about this nearer the time.

Voting time again - Rix Topp 6 Klockan 6!

"Split My Personality" is "bubbling under" in the Rix FM Topp 6 Klockan 6 chart. Go to http://www.rixfm.com/program/kvallar-med-christian-hedlund/rix-topp-6-klockan-6 and vote, vote, vote to get Salem into the top 6!

Vote for "Keep On Walking" in this year's Swedish Grammis!

Calling all Salem fans out there! We need each and everyone of you to vote, so that Salem wins this award :)))

Go to http://www.expressen.se/noje/musik/1.2251582/rosta-pa-din-svenska-favoritlat-under-2010 where you can cast your vote for "Keep On Walking" in the "best song" category. Voting is open until 16th January.

Rösta rösta rösta!!!!

Two nominations for Salem in the Swedish Grammis!

Salem has been nominated in two categories at the Grammis 2011 which takes place on 17th January: Årets manliga artist and Årets låt.

Full list of nominees at http://www.expressen.se/noje/1.2253718/de-kan-vinna-grammis-2011

EDITORIAL:

Please note that the following views do not reflect those of Salem, his management, record company or anyone else connected with him - but are purely my own, as editor of Planet Salem.

Whilst I'm happy about his two nominations, I also want to say that I am very, very disappointed that the jury has overlooked Salem in five other categories - for album, artist, composer, lyricist and producer, where he deserved the recognition for his musical output over the past 12 months.

I know there is such a high standard of music coming out of Sweden....and of course I am a fan of many of the acts nominated, including Oskar Linnros, Daniel Adams-Ray, Robyn and Kent, all of whom deserve their nominations.

What do you think? I'd love to hear your views, so post your comments here.

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!