You can edit almost every page by Creating an account. Otherwise, see the FAQ.

Omar Esa

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Omar Esa
Native name
عمر عیسی
BornEngland
OriginLondon, Greater London, England
Genres
Occupation(s)
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2011–present
Associated actsKamal Uddin, Ehsaan Tahmid
Websitewww.omaresa.com

Omar Esa (Punjabi: عمر عیسی); is a British-Pakistani nasheed artist, actor, podcaster and writer.[1] He sings in a number of languages such as English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Malay and Indonesian. He is also the director of Sacred House Productions and Alif Baa Taa Kids. His catchphrases are anything music can do, so can the voice and my voice is my instrument.

Biography[edit]

Esa was born to Punjabi Muslim parents in England on 17 April. He grew up in London, England but his father, Choudhry Mohammad Anwar, was from Gujranwala in Pakistan.

In 2006, Esa was singing along to a Stevie Wonder song on X Factor, when his friend told him that he has a very good voice. Esa then began his career as an R&B and Soul singer having released a hit debut album and signed to a record label that launched the careers of a number of popular British Asian artists. He grabbed the attention of musical personalities such as Ronnie Herel and Tim Westwood and his music was playing in a number of radio stations.[2] In 2007, he enrolled at the University of Westminster to study a BA in Music and Media which he completed in 2010.

In 2010, he decided that he didn't want to go down this path and left the music industry. In July 2011, Esa started a new chapter in his life, beginning his career as an Islamic nasheed artist. On 13 July, he released his first nasheed dedicated to Allah (SWT). He signed to record label Safar Media in October and the PR company 1st Witness. He was invited to an interview on IQRA TV. He then took part in the GNAA Sound of Souls National Nasheed Contest 2011 where he won an award.

Esa co-wrote and acted in a drama called Life and Dunya, focusing on issues such as crime and drugs. He also starred in the hit web series Fresher Than Your Average and also in Bad cKompany.

In 2012, Esa took part in Mission Morocco, a charity drive to raise money for two charities; Muslim Aid and Sparks. On 13 February of that year, he released his second nasheed single titled Muhammad (Sallallahu ’Alayhi Wa Sallam). By 28 November, he published his first nasheed album "Omar Esa: Islamic Nasheeds" containing 10 nasheeds.

He was then nominated for 3 MOMO (Music of Muslim Origin) awards in the categories of Best Album, Best Nasheed Single and best British Solo Artist. He was invited to the Deen Matters show on IQRA TV in 2013 after the release of his charity single Syria. In the same year, he appeared on the Friday Night Fusion Show hosted by Ahmad Bostan in the Unity FM 39.5 Birmingham radio station. Omar Esa was hired by Islam Channel to be the host of a new TV series called 'ilmtube'.

In 2014, he appeared on BBC Big Questions hosted by Nicky Campbell. On 19 April of the same year, he released The Heartbeat, a 9-track heavy nasheed mixtape. In 2016, he appeared on Eman Channel as well as on The Deliverance of a Nasheed Artist, the 22nd episode of the Mad Mamluks podcast.

In 2017, he was invited to the Believers in Motion show on Deen TV hosted by Native Deen. Two of Omar Esa's tracks (Dawah and Hello) were featured on the official soundtrack of the 2017 film Last Chance. During a visit to Hong Kong to perform in the At The Peak conference in the same year, Esa was exclusively interviewed by the Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College Media Team. The following year, Esa performed in Scandinavia with Islam Net.

Esa launched his very own podcast, Omar Esa and Friends Podcast, in early 2019. It featured Esa's close associates such as Mo Khan, Vishal Patel and Abu Safiyyah Khan.

Esa was interviewed in Islam21C's 8th episode of Unscripted on 22 June 2019 and on 20 July 2019, he was also interviewed by the Blood Brothers Dilly and Aki Hussain, in Muslims Love Music.

Career[edit]

Since 2011, Esa has been a nasheed singer-songwriter. He has collaborated with other nasheed artists such as Muslim Belal, Abdullah Rolle, Returntosender, Ibrahim Jabber, Malik Naim, Ilyas Mao and more.

Discography[edit]

Singles and covers[edit]

Year Single Artist(s) Language(s) Producer(s) Note(s)
2011 "Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala)" Omar Esa English, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Added to Omar Esa: Islamic Nasheeds
2012 "Muhammad (Sallallahu ’Alayhi Wa Sallam)"
2013 "Nasheed for Syria" For charity
"Student to Scholar" A-Man, Omar Esa A-Man, Omar Esa Omar Esa on vocals
"Let's Pray" Omar Esa Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman For charity
2014 "Aisha" Cover
"Song4Syria - You're Not Alone" UK Apache, Muslim Belal, Abdullah Rolle, Hassen Rasool, Masikah, Faisal Salah, Khaleel Muhammad, Umar Salaams, Omar Esa Abdullah Rolle For charity
"#DearMum" Talk Islam, Omar Esa Talk Islam (Kamal Saleh) Omar Esa on vocals
"Ya Rabbi" Omar Esa Urdu, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Added to The One and Only
"Struggle" Umar Salaams, Abdullah Rolle, Omar Esa English Abdullah Rolle Omar Esa on vocals
"Happy" Omar Esa English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cover
2015 "The Wedding Nasheed" English, Arabic Added to The One and Only
"Pyaareh Nabi" Urdu, Arabic Added to The One and Only
"United" Muslim Belal, Omar Esa English, Urdu Muslim Belal From Muslim Belal's My Sumaya
"Allah is Great" English
"The Story of Taif" Omar Esa English, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"Runaway" Ibrahim Jabber, Malik Naim, Omar Esa English Talk Islam (Kamal Saleh)
"Mawlaya Salli" Omar Esa Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cover, added to The One and Only and My Muslim Family
"Thanks to You Allah" English Omar Esa Added to The One and Only and My Muslim Family
"Hello" Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cover
"Testify" Omar Esa Label: The Merciful Servant (UK)
2016 "My Brother" Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman For FouseyTube
"Mere Maula Tera Saani" Urdu Omar Esa Label: Holy Tune (Bangladesh)
"Tum Hi Ho" Hindi, English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cover
"Ghuraba (The Strangers)" English Omar Esa Cover, added to The One and Only
"Refugee (A Story of Struggle and Hope)" Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Charity, label: The Merciful Servant (UK)
"Halal Habibi" Sponsored by Izaha
"Kun Anta (Be Yourself)" English, Arabic Cover
"Dawah" Omar Esa, Muslim Belal English Eid exclusive
"See You Again" Omar Esa Cover
"I Can't Breathe" For #BlackLivesMatter
"Dil Dil Pakistan" Urdu Cover
"Deen Squad" Omar Esa, Musa Adnan, Ali Dawah English
2017 "Rabb" Omar Esa Urdu, Punjabi Added to My Muslim Family
"Dhikr 1 (Remembrance of Allah)" Arabic Omar Esa
"The Vlog Nasheed" English
"To Him We Shall Return" Naveed Ahmed, Omar Esa Talk Islam (Kamal Saleh) Omar Esa on vocals
"One Love London & Manchester" Omar Esa Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"My Master Allah (SubhanAllah)" Omar Esa Label: The Merciful Servant
2018 "Tera Pyaar" Urdu, Punjabi Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman iTunes #1 (Filmed in Lanzarote)
"United Ummah" Omar Esa, Muslim Belal English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"My Heart Will Go On" Omar Esa Cover
"Stand Together" Omar Esa, Kamal Uddin, Hafiz Mizan, Imtiyaz Sidat, Ehsaan Tahmid For charity
"Kaaba" Omar Esa
"Follow Islam" WayOfLifeSQ, Omar Esa WayOfLifeSQ
"Allah is Sufficient (Hasbun Allah Wa Ni’amel Wakeel)" Omar Esa English, Arabic Omar Esa Label: The Merciful Servant
"Nothing Compares 2U" English Cover
"Muhammad's Company" Lyrics: Fatima Barkatulla
2019 "Better Day In’shaa’Allah" Malay (Indonesian) Mohammad Zaki Ismail, Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"Al-Mu’allim" Arabic Omar Esa Cover
"Death" English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"Dunya" Omar Esa, Ilyas Mao Ilyas Mao, Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman iTunes #5
"Forgive Me Allah - Astaghfirullah" Omar Esa Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Label: The Merciful Servant, added to Allah and His Beloved
"Where is the Love" Talk Islam, Omar Esa, Muslim Belal, Essam Muhammad Talk Islam (Kamal Saleh), CDQBeats, PettyPro Cover
"Nikah" Omar Esa Urdu Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman iTunes #1
"7 Days" English Cover
"Allah Hi Allah Kiya Karo" Urdu, English
"Maa" Urdu Omar Esa
"Jummah Mubarak" English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cartoon
"I Need Your Love" iTunes #1
"What About Us? (The Orphans)" Omar Esa Label: The Merciful Servant
2020 "Duniya Ke Ae Musafir" Urdu Imtiyaz Sidat, Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Cover
"Tajdar-e-Haram" Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"Falling in love with her" English
"Channa Mereya x Rabba Mereya" Hindi
"She’s Amazing" English Omar Esa
"KASHMIR" RawFlow, Omar Esa RawFlow
"Allah Help Me" Omar Esa Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Added to Allah and His Beloved
"Love Truth" Omar Esa Cover
"Favours" Kabirvocals, Omar Esa Kabir Umar
"Ya Allah" Omar Esa Omar Esa iTunes #1, added to Allah and His Beloved
"How Can You Deny?" Omar Esa Omar Esa Cover
"Aye Khuda" Urdu
2021 "Subhanallah Alhamdulillah Allah Hu Akbar" English, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman 2 Hour Challenge
"Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi" Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, English Omar Esa Cover
"Saved Me" Naeem R, Omar Esa English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman
"Spiderman" Omar Esa Omar Esa iTunes #1, cartoon
"Ya Rasool Salam Alayka" English, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman Added to Allah and His Beloved
"Thank You Allah" Labbayk, Omar Esa English, Urdu, Bengali Omar Esa, Gareth Redfarn From Labbayk's Remembrance
"Rabbana" Ilyas Mao, Omar Esa English, Arabic Ilyas Mao, Ramzi Sleiman Added to Ilyas Mao's The Edge of My Mind
"Home" Omar Esa English Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman, Ash 30-day Salah in Every City Challenge (Village of Mercy, Syria)
"I Trust Allah" Omar Esa English Omar Esa Short
"Rawdat As Salam" Abdul Sattar Mahomed Arabic Omar Esa Omar Esa on vocals
"Mash'Allah" Omar Esa English Omar Esa, Ash
"Rabbah" Omar Esa Punjabi Omar Esa
2022 "Ya Ilahi" Imtiyaz Sidat, Omar Esa English, Arabic Omar Esa From Imtiyaz Sidat's Guide Me
"One Family (One Ummah)" Omar Esa Omar Esa Animation
"Shine" The 4aith, Omar Esa Firdaus Rahmat, Omar K & Iqie Hugh
"Haram Money" Omar Esa Omar Esa Short film
"Zina" Short film
"Allah Maaf Kore Dio" Bengali, Arabic Omar Esa, Ramzi Sleiman

Albums and mixtapes[edit]

Omar Esa: Islamic Nasheeds (2012)[edit]

Omar Esa: Islamic Nasheeds is Esa's debut album, which was released on 28 November 2012 via Safar Media and recorded at RDS Music Studios, London. The album was mostly produced by Omar Esa and Ramzi Sleiman, and also features Abdullah Rolle as an artist in the final track. Sajid Pandore joined the producing duo for the fourth track In’shaa’Allah. Gareth Redfarn was the joint producer with Omar Esa in the ninth track 99 Names of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala). It is a multilingual album containing lyrics in English, Arabic, Urdu and Bengali. The tracks Allah and Muhammad were his first two singles respectively which were already released with their own nasheed videos before being added to the album.

After the release of the album, Omar Esa shot a video for The One which released in February 2013. On 13 August, a video was released for the multilingual nasheed In’shaa’Allah. Omar Esa also released two lyrical videos for You’re My Wife Alhamdullilah on 11 October and 99 Names of Allah on 27 March 2014 in cooperation with Green Bird Media Productions and iLovUAllah Productions respectively. The latter amassed over 15.5 million views on the YouTube platform. The nasheed videos were directed and edited by Jubair Islam Khan. On 29 August 2021, Omar Esa released lyric videos to The Promise of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala) and One Ummah.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa0:59
2."Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:22
3."Muhammad" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:45
4."In’shaa’Allah" (English, Arabic, Urdu)Omar Esa3:15
5."The Promise of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)" (English, Urdu, Bengali)Omar Esa3:19
6."Palestine" (English)Omar Esa4:29
7."You’re My Wife Alhamdullilah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:56
8."The One" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:00
9."99 Names of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)" (Arabic)Collected5:47
10."One Ummah (featuring Abdullah Rolle)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa, Abdullah Rolle4:33
Total length:35:25

The Heartbeat (2014)[edit]

The Heartbeat was Omar Esa's first mixtape which was released online on 19 April 2014, free-of-charge. It was recorded at RDS Music Studios, London. The cover single Aisha was released with its own nasheed video before the mixtape's release, on 22 March 2014 directed by Jubair Islam Khan. The mixtape was produced by Omar Esa and Ramzi Sleiman and featured Returntosender and Dawah Man.

After the release of the mixtape, Omar Esa shot a video for The One and Only which released on 28 April 2014, directed by Jubair Islam Khan. On 24 March 2015, he released the nasheed video for Life, directed by Blackstone Media. Omar Esa also released two lyrical videos for Jannah on 20 May 2015 and Forgive Us on 4 September 2015 in cooperation with One4Kids and iLovUAllah Productions respectively. The latter was described by Esa as the most personal nasheed he had ever written.[3]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The One and Only" (English)Omar Esa1:37
2."I Wanna Say" (English)Omar Esa1:07
3."Jannah (featuring Returntosender)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa, Sufyaan (Returntosender)3:12
4."The Game (featuring Dawah Man)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa, Imran ibn Mansur (Dawah Man)3:21
5."Heartbeat" (English)Omar Esa1:42
6."Aisha" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa1:58
7."Forgive Us" (English)Omar Esa2:56
8."Stop" (English)Omar Esa1:33
9."Life" (English)Omar Esa0:54
Total length:18:20

The One and Only (2016)[edit]

The One and Only was an exclusive album released by Omar Esa in 2016. It was in disc format and only sold in South Africa. The album was just a comilation of his pre-released nasheeds, recorded at RDS Music Studios, London.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Ya Rabbi" (Urdu, Arabic)Omar Esa4:07
2."Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:22
3."The One" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:00
4."Thanks to You Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:52
6."Forgive Us" (English)Omar Esa2:56
7."Ghuraba" (Arabic, English)Omar Esa2:55
8."Jannah (featuring Returntosender)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa, Sufyaan (Returntosender)3:12
9."Mawlaya Salli" (English)Al-Busiri, Omar Esa3:43
12."The Story of Taif" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa5:07
13."The Wedding Nasheed" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:00
14."99 Names of Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta'ala)" (Arabic)Omar Esa5:47
15."Tum Hi Ho" (Hindi, English)Omar Esa2:53
Total length:42:54

My Muslim Family (2017)[edit]

My Muslim Family was Esa's second album, which was released digitally on 1 June 2017 and recorded in RDS Music Studios in London. Its slogan was “an album for all the family – from the babies all the way to the grandparents”. It became #1 on the official iTunes World Music chart followings its release. The album was produced by Omar Esa & Ramzi Sleiman. Four of the tracks were already released prior to this album:

  • Mawlaya Salli, single released on 28 September 2015 with official video. It was a cover of Al-Busiri's Qaṣīdah Al-Burdah
  • Thanks to You Allah, originally released as a lyric video titled Al Hamdulillah on 11 November 2015 via the Merciful Servant
  • Rabb, single released on 16 February 2017 with official video.
  • Dhikr 1, originally released as a lyric video titled Remembrance of Allah on 29 March 2017 via the Merciful Servant

After the release of the album, Esa released official videos for three more tracks and live recording videos for two other tracks. The video for Welcome Ramadan was released on 2 June 2017, a day after the album release, and was set in Australia. Brother Mohamed, Sister Amani, Noura Kandakji and the Ghany family (Bilal, Mohamad, Omar and Sumayya) made an appearance on the video. Kamal Saleh (Talk Islam) directed the video and was assisted by Makean Hourani, Muhammad Majanni, Sister Rana and Brother Bilal with production by OnePath Network.

Naim Cherny directed the video for Assalamu Alikum - set in Quwwat-ul-Islam Girls School in Forest Gate, London. Zeeshan Ali (Smile2Jannah) acted as the teacher, and The Cool Boys and Quwwatul Islam Choir made appearances in the video too with the latter assisting with background vocals. It was released on 7 December 2017.

On 15 June 2018, Esa released the official video for Tala Al Badru, a cover of what is said to be the first nasheed in Muslim tradition, written by the Ansar. It was directed by Shakil Malji, who was assisted by Ali Raza and Akhi Abdullah who were both based in al-Madinah. This track also included some verses that were additionally written for Mishary al-Afasy's cover and Mahmoud Ghoneim. Sponsors included Abdullah Aid, Zazz Blackburn, Balti House Rishton, NCL Tours and Maarij Group. The arrangement of lyrics was organised by Qari Ilyas El Badr, and the video was shot in Masjid an-Nabawi and the date palms of Madinah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

On 3 February 2019, Esa released a live recording video of Thanks to You Allah which was titled Alhamdulillah and released on his social media accounts. He released another live recording video for You Are My Hero on his social media accounts which was released on 23 February 2020. On 29 August 2021, Omar Esa released lyric videos to Walhamdulillah, The Prophets, A Is for Allah, You Are My Hero, Dhikr 1, Thanks to You Allah, The Wudu Nasheed and Celebrate.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Assalamu Alikum (featuring Quwwatul Islam Choir)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:44
2."Walhamdulillah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:19
3."The Prophets" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:08
4."Welcome Ramadan" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:12
5."Tala Al Badru" (Arabic)al-Ansar & Mishary Al-Afasy5:17
6."A Is for Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:53
7."Rabb" (Urdu, Punjabi)Omar Esa, Raza Malik2:49
8."You Are My Hero" (English)Omar Esa3:39
9."Dhikr 1" (Arabic)N/A2:47
10."Thanks to You Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:52
11."The Wudu Nasheed" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:03
12."Mawlaya Salli" (Arabic)Al-Busiri3:43
13."Celebrate" (English)Omar Esa2:30
Total length:40:56

Allah and His Beloved (2021)[edit]

On 29 March 2021, Esa announced that he will be releasing a third album and that the lead single would be Ya Rasool Salam Alayka, which he referred to as the best nasheed he had done to date. The official video for the lead single was published on 2 April 2021 on Esa's YouTube channel. Allah and His Beloved was released digitally on 9 April 2021. Esa described the album as his best body of work as it was very emotional and personal for him. He put 2 years into the album. Other than Ya Rasool Salam Alayka, three other tracks were also already released prior to this album:

  • Astagfirullah, originally released as a lyric video titled Forgive Me Allah - Astagfirullah on 26 March 2019 via the Merciful Servant
  • Allah Help Me, single released on 15 September 2020 with official video
  • Ya Allah, single released as a lyric video on 19 November 2020

On its first week of release, it charted at #4 in the entire UK (peaking at #3), peaked at #1 in Saudi Arabia, among many other topping positions worldwide. This made history for vocal only nasheeds.[4] Omar Esa shortly released an official video for his favourite track from the album, You Allah, on 22 April 2021. On 10 February 2022, he released the official video of My Nabi with Nadeem Mohammed and Mo Khan.

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:48
2."Ya Rasool Salam Alayka" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:46
3."Astagfirullah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:36
4."Habib Allah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:24
5."Allah Help Me" (English)Omar Esa3:41
6."Rasoolallah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:40
7."Allahu Akbar" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:06
8."Dhikr" (Arabic)N/A4:23
9."My Nabi (featuring Nadeem Mohammed & Mo Khan)" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa, Nadeem Mohammed, Al-Busiri, Mo Khan4:22
10."Alhamdulillah" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa3:15
11."Mustafa" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:30
12."Allahu" (English, Arabic)Omar Esa2:57
13."Mercy (featuring Kamal Saleh)" (English)Omar Esa, Kamal Saleh4:31
14."Subhanallah (featuring Ustadh Sameer)" (English)Omar Esa, Ustadh Sameer4:06
15."Ya Allah" (English)Omar Esa3:14
Total length:54:19

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. "Charity fundrasing dinner 2015". Abbey Manor: Shakhsiyah Youth. 11 January 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  2. "OMAR EESA, FORMER R&B, UK". The Religion of Islam. 4 November 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  3. "Omar Esa on Facebook". Facebook.
  4. Choudhury, Shaheer. "Omar Esa nashīd album nears No. 1 in the charts".

External links[edit]