Salem Al Fakir – Wikipedia
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Salem Al Fakir |
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| Birth name | Lars Salem Al Fakir |
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| Born | 27 October 1981 Huddinge, Sweden |
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| Years active | 2006–present |
| Website | vargasandlagola |
Musical artist
Lars Salem Al Fakir (born 27 October 1981) is a Swedish musician, singer, songwriter and record producer.[1] He regularly collaborates with Vincent Pontare as the songwriting and production duo Vargas and Lagola.[2] Together, they have worked with many artists, including Avicii, Axwell & Ingrosso, Madonna, Seinabo Sey and Lady Gaga. In addition to his songwriting and production work, he releases alternative pop music as Vargas & Lagola.[3]
Biography[edit]
Early life and artist career[edit]
Al Fakir 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 Stockholm.[4]
In the autumn of 2006, Al Fakir released his first EP Dream Girl. He is most famous for his chart topping albums This Is Who I Am (2007), Astronaut (2009) and Ignore This (2010). At the Swedish Grammy Awards in 2008 he won big – taking home four awards and being nominated in seven categories.[5]
He took part in Melodifestivalen 2010, the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2010, with “Keep On Walking” and finished in second place.[6]
2010–present: Songwriting[edit]
After his solo career, Al Fakir became more focused on the songwriting. Beginning to collaborate with Avicii on “Silhouettes” in 2012.[7] Among the first co-writes with Vincent Pontare are Avicii’s 2013 Billboard Hot 100 single “Hey Brother” and “Younger” by Seinabo Sey.[8]
At the 2014 Swedish Grammy Awards, Al Fakir, Vincent Pontare and Magnus Lidehäll were awarded Composer of the Year after writing for Veronica Maggio’s album Handen i fickan fast jag bryr mig and the Petter album Början på allt, and work with artists like Galantis.[9] In 2014 he wrote numerous songs on Mapei’s album Hey Hey and Avicii’s “The Days” and “Divine Sorrow” (with Wyclef Jean).[10]
Al Fakir followed up with another successful year in 2015 co-writing most songs on Seinabo Sey’s highly acclaimed debut album Pretend and songs for Madonna’s Rebel Heart album.[11][12]
Vargas & Lagola have co-written some of the biggest hits by Axwell Ʌ Ingrosso – “More Than You Know”, “Sun Is Shining”, “Dreamer” and more – taken from their 2017 album More Than You Know.[13]
The duo have also contributed to two songs on Swedish rock band Ghost’s Billboard 200-charting and Grammy Award-nominated album Prequelle, including the album’s second single “Dance Macabre” which topped Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart.[14][15][16]
In 2018, the same moment as Vargas & Lagola blazed onto the alternative pop scene with the hit single “Roads”, they shared the no.1 spot as Sweden’s most streamed songwriters for songs including Avicii – “Without You (feat. Sandro Cavazza)” and “Waiting For Love”.[17]
After working closely with Avicii for several years, Al Fakir and Pontare played a key role in finishing up the 2019 posthumous Avicii album TIM and are featured artists on three of the album songs.[18] On 5 December 2019, Vargas & Lagola performed at Avicii’s Tribute Concert in Stockholm.[19]
Vargas & Lagola’s debut album The Butterfly Effect was released in January 2020.[20]
Discography[edit]
As Vargas & Lagola[edit]
As solo artist[edit]
Albums[edit]
Singles[edit]
| Single | Year | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWE [21][22] |
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| “Dream Girl” | 2006 | 25 | This Is Who I Am |
| “Good Song” | 36 | ||
| “This Is Who I Am” | 2007 | 43 | |
| “It’s True” (with Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso) |
38 | ||
| “It’s Only You, Part 2” | 2008 | 41 | Astronaut |
| “Astronaut” | 2009 | 34 | |
| “Roxy” | — | ||
| “Keep On Walking” | 2010 | 3 | Ignore This |
| “4 O’Clock” | 49 | ||
| “Split My Personality” | — | ||
| “I’m So Happy” (featuring Josephine Bornebusch) |
2011 | — |
Uncredited vocal work[edit]
Songwriting and production credits[edit]
Songwriting and production credits for local Swedish artists[edit]
Awards and nominations[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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