Hasan Adan Samatar ( so, Xasan Aadan Samatar, ar, حسن اذن ساماتار) (b. May 23, 1953 in Diinsoor,

Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...

) is a prominent Somali singer, guitarist and theatrical performer.

Biography

Samatar was born to an artistic family in Dinsoor,

in 1953. He grew up in Baidoa, where he attended primary and elementary schools. He subsequently relocated to

Mogadishu Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, مقديشو ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port connecting traders across the Indian Oc ...

, the nation's capital, and began his secondary education. Samatar's involvement with music began at a very early age, with him first taking up singing during childhood. He later started to play the guitar. While most of Samatar's songs have been in Standard Somali, many of his early tunes were in the

Maay Mai-Mai, commonly spelled Maay Maay (also known as ''Af-Maay'', ''Af-Maymay'', or simply ''Maay''; the ''Mai-Mai'' spelling is rarely used but it is most often spoken), is a dialect of the Somali language of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiat ...

variety. His first mainstream song was "Hadaad diido hadalkayga" in 1974. After graduating from high school, Samatar planned on attending university in Italy. However, at the behest of friends, he decided to first take part in the 1971 edition of ''Heesaha Hirgalay'', a talent competition that was at the time Somalia's equivalent of

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

. Samatar wound up winning the entire contest. He was shortly afterwards inducted into Waaberi, the premiere Somali musical ensemble, and emerged as a leader in the local music and theater scenes.

Theater

Samatar has acted in more than two dozen plays, ranging from melodramatic and socially conscious pieces to romantic productions. He is noted for both his performing ability and charismatic style.

Music

Among the most influential and enduring of Somali singers, Samatar has a musical corpus of over 200 songs, and has performed several duets with other popular Somali artists, including Saado Cali,

Khadija Qalanjo Khadija Qalanjo ( so, Khadiija Qalanjo, ar, خديجة قالانجو) is a popular Somali singer and folklore dancer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the first miss Somalia. Qalanjo was the singer that started the modernization and enhancemen ...

and Seynab Haji Ali. Samatar credits his exposure to Somali folklore and cultural festivals at a young age with his artistic achievements: Samatar also encourages Somali parents in the diaspora to teach their children the rich Somali culture, particularly songs and poetry, so that the youth will appreciate the beauty of their traditions and draw pride from that.

Awards

On August 14, 2010, Samatar received a lifetime achievement award from leaders of the Somali community in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

. A spokesman for Eagle Media, which had put together the tribute dinner and gala party, indicated that the organization had sought to present Samatar the prize years earlier but was waiting for the artist to return to

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

Personal life

Samatar now spends his time between in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada and

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and still continues to tour. He settled down

Djibouti Djibouti, ar, جيبوتي ', french: link=no, Djibouti, so, Jabuuti officially the Republic of Djibouti, is a country in the Horn of Africa, bordered by Somalia to the south, Ethiopia to the southwest, Eritrea in the north, and the Red ...

since 2015 and had a new baby with his new wife

Discography

Popular songs by Samatar include: "Saylo" duet with

sahra Axmed ''Sahra'' is a studio album from Algerian raï artist Khaled, released in 1996. It was the artist's biggest production to date, being co-produced by Philippe Eidel, Don Was, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Clive Hunt, and including performances by man ...

*''Kala hadhi maynee'' (''Hilbaheenna isku yaalle'') or "We Will Not Be Apart" – duet with Seynab Haji Ali "Baxsan". Lyrics by

Yusuf Aadan Yusuf ( ar, يوسف ') is a male name of Arabic origin meaning "God increases" (in piety, power and influence).From the Hebrew יהוה להוסיף ''YHWH Lhosif'' meaning "YHWH will increase/add". It is the Arabic equivalent of the Hebrew name ...

and melody by

Ismail Gare Ishmael ''Ismaḗl''; Classical/Qur'anic Arabic: إِسْمَٰعِيْل; Modern Standard Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيْل ''ʾIsmāʿīl''; la, Ismael was the first son of Abraham, the common patriarch of the Abrahamic religions; and is cons ...

. From the play: ''Garcadaawo iyo caashaq''.Kapteijns, p.186. Abdirahman

Notes

References

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Somalia: Somali Famous legend gets Lifetime Achievement Award
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samatar, Hasan Adan Living people 1953 births People from Bay, Somalia 20th-century Somalian male singers 21st-century Somalian male singers