Salem Al Fakir

Lars Salem Al Fakir (Arabic: سالم الفقير‎‎; born 27 October 1981) is a Swedish soul/pop musician and singer of paternal Syrian origin. He is most famous for his chart topping albums This Is Who I Am (2007), Astronaut (2009) and Ignore This (2010). He took part in Melodifestivalen 2010 with "Keep on Walking" finishing second behind winner Anna Bergendahl. Internationally he is known for his song "It's True", which was remixed by Swedish house DJs Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso, and for being featured as a vocalist in the Avicii songs "Silhouettes" and "You Make Me", both of which were hits in many countries including the United Kingdom and the United States.

Salem learned to play violin at the age of four and subsequently toured Russia as a solo violinist at the age of fourteen, but returned to Sweden to study jazz piano. As a student he attended the Adolf Fredrik's Music School in .

During his career he has worked with artists including Robyn, Wille Crafoord and Snook. Along with elder brother Nassim, he is a member of the FakirKarlsson trio which teamed up with fellow jazz musicians the Örjan Hultén Trio and have released two albums as H3FK, most recently "Nubiska Nätter" released in 2008.

In the autumn of 2006 Salem released his first single, the "Dream Girl" EP, and his debut album was released in January 2007 to commercial success and critical acclaim. The album was recorded in Salem's basement and bedroom, and he was solely responsible for writing, mixing and producing the album. Salem also played all instruments on the album himself apart from horns played by his brother Sami, and drums on "Dream Girl" and "Bright Side Of Life" played by Tim Lundblad.