Omar bin Musa (born 9 January 1984) is a Malaysian-Australian author, poet, rapper and visual artist from

Queanbeyan, New South Wales Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the Q ...

, Australia. He has released three solo hip hop records (including ''Since Ali Died'') and three books of poetry. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

''Here Come the Dogs'' was published in 2014. ''Here Come the Dogs'' was long-listed for the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

and Musa was named one of the

Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...

's Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.

Career

Musa was runner up in the 2007 Australian Poetry Slam, before winning in 2008 at the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

. He went on to win the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2010. Musa has published three books of poetry: ''The Clocks'', ''Parang'' and ''Millefiori''. Meaning "machete" in Malay, ''Parang'' deals with his Malaysian heritage, migration and loss. He has performed and collaborated with numerous musicians and hip hop artists, including

Kae Tempest Kae Tempest (formerly Kate Tempest; born 22 December 1985) is an English spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist and playwright. At the age of 16, Tempest was accepted into the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology in ...

, Marc E. Bassy,

Daniel Merriweather Daniel Paul Merriweather (born 17 February 1982) is an Australian R&B recording artist. Merriweather's debut solo album, '' Love & War'', was released in June 2009. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number two. It was preceded by two sing ...

Kate Miller-Heidke Kate Melina Miller-Heidke (; born 16 November 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Although classically trained, she has generally followed a career in alternative pop music. She signed to Sony Australia, Epic in the US and RCA in the ...

Lior Lior Attar, better known simply as Lior, is an independent Australian singer-songwriter based in Melbourne. He is best known for his 2005 debut studio album ''Autumn Flow'' and for the song "Hoot's Lullaby". Early life and education Lior was bo ...

, Horrorshow,

Mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

, Akala,

Soweto Kinch Soweto Kinch (born 10 January 1978) is a British jazz alto saxophonist and rapper. Biography Born in 1978 in London, England, to a Barbadian father, playwright Don Kinch, and British-Jamaican actress Yvette Harris, Soweto Kinch began playin ...

Joelistics Joelistics (born Joel Ma) is an Australian MC, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who is a member of the Melbourne-based Australian hip hop group TZU and a solo artist on the Elefant Traks music label. Early life Ma was raised in Sydney, Aust ...

The Last Kinection The Last Kinection is an Indigenous hip-hop group from Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. The band was formed in 2006 by Joel Wenitong, DJ Jay Tee (both from Local Knowledge) and Naomi Wenitong ( Shakaya). The Last Kinection first came to ...

Hau Latukefu Langomi-e-Hau Latukefu (born 1976), better known as Hau Latukefu, or sometimes MC Hau or simply Hau, is an Australian hip hop musician and radio host. He is best known as half of the duo Koolism (with Danielsan) and as the host of Triple J's hi ...

from

Koolism ''Koolism'' is an Australian hip hop duo originating from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The members are lyricist Hau Latukefu (born Langomi-e-Hau Latukefu, 1976, Queanbeyan, Australia) and producer/DJ/musician Danielsan Ichiban (born ...

and

L-FRESH the LION Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal (born 12 October 1988), better known as L-FRESH The LION is a hip hop artist and producer from Sydney, Australia. The acronym F.R.E.S.H. stands for Forever Rising Exceeding Sudden Hardships, while the L and LION refer to his ...

. Musa's debut novel ''Here Come The Dogs'' was published by Penguin Books (Australia) in 2014. The story centres around the lives of three disaffected young men in small town Australia. The

Guardian Australia ''Guardian Australia'' is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, ''The Guardian''. Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in time for the 2013 Australian fede ...

described it as examining "race, identity and the unrealised dreams of disempowered Australian youths". The

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

said it was "rousing" and "searing", and that "with compassion and urgency, ''Here Come the Dogs'' excavates the pain of those who struggle to remain part of a ruthless equation that has been determined by others." ''Here Come the Dogs'' was nominated for numerous awards, such as the

and the

International Dublin Literary Award The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...

, and won the People's Choice Award at the ACT Book of the Year Awards. Musa was named one of the

's Young Novelists of the Year and short-listed for the

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

in 2015. In 2017, Musa released ''Since Ali Died'', a full-length hip hop album featuring Sarah Corry, Amali Golden and

Tasman Keith Tasman Keith is an Australian rapper and singer-songwriter. Early life Tasman Keith is a Gumbaynggirr man from Bowraville, New South Wales. At age seven, Tasman and his family moved from Bowraville to Sydney for his father's music. His dad wa ...

. In 2018, he created a one-man play, ''Since Ali Died'', based upon the album, that premiered at Griffin Theatre in Sydney, Australia. Musa's work often deals with the themes of migration, Australian racism, violence, masculinity and loneliness.

Bibliography

Books

* ''The Clocks'' (2009) * ''Parang'' (2013) * '' Here Come the Dogs'' (2014) * ''Millefiori'' (2017) * ''Killernova'' (2021: Australia, Penguin) (2022: UK, Broken Sleep Books)

Plays

* ''Since Ali Died'' (2018)

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

References

External links

Official Facebook writers pagePublishers BiographyAn Interview with Omar Musa
at Cordite Poetry Review
The Guardian Australia's review of "DEAD CENTRE"
1984 births Living people Australian hip hop musicians Obese Records artists People from Queanbeyan Australian male poets 21st-century Australian novelists 21st-century Australian poets Australian people of Malaysian descent Australian people of Irish descent {{authority control