Bashar Murad (Arabic: بشار مراد) (b. 7 February 1993) is a Palestinian singer, lyricist, director and composer born and raised in Jerusalem. Bashar uses pop music and art as a vehicle to challenge stereotypes, the Israeli occupation, and to highlight social issues facing young generations of urban Palestinians. He is best known for his collaboration with Icelandic techno-punk band Hatari on the song "Klefi / صامد”.

Bashar grew up surrounded by the works and compositions of his fathers band Sabreen. His father’s studio provided the perfect playground for Bashar to imbibe the masterful works of the band. He later went on to study at the Bridgewater College for Liberal Arts in Virginia where he gained creative knowledge to develop his own works. Since 2018 Bashar has been producing genre-bending music defying patriarchal and oppressive structures present within his immediate environment.

His works include “Shillet Hamal” (Bunch of Bums), “Ilkul 3am Bitjawaz” (Everyone’s Getting Married) and the United Nations commissioned song and music video for “Ana Zalameh” (I Am A Man) all garnering regional and global attention. Apart from the unique sound which Bashar managed to carve himself on the Palestinian and regional music scenes, he also accompanies his works with spectacular visual works testifying to his playful imagination.

Murad's collaboration with the Icelandic techno-punk band Hatari on the song "Klefi / Samed" (صامد) helped him reach a wider audience. The song was released shortly after the Eurovision Song Contest 2019, which took place in Tel Aviv, and is about the wish for freedom and calls attention to the systematic oppression of Palestinians. In May 2019, Murad participated in the Canadian Music Week in Toronto, Canada.

In June 2021 Bashar released his debut E.P. Maskhara (Mockery). For the E.P. Bashar has collaborated with pioneering Palestinian hip hop artist Tamer Nafar of DAM (Arabic: دام), recruited the brilliant oud mastery of Said Murad and Wisam Murad of Sabreen, and called on the expertise of American producer Gannin Arnold. The E.P. was produced during the global pandemic and is inspired by Bashar’s Palestinian reality, taking in the daily tensions that form an integral part of life in Jerusalem, while also infusing the sounds with a strong desire for escapism, satire and an innovative pop aesthetic.

Bashar’s Arabic pop has became sought after at regional, European and North American festivals and events and in 2020 he was signed to Indie Label Pop Arabia. He has been featured in articles from CBC, The Guardian, the Globe, The Mail and the BBC, with the press describing him as “The Palestinian singer blurring gender lines” and a “slightly built, mild-mannered Arabic provocateur.”

Bashar released his second Arabic-language EP, Nafas in January 2024. On 24 January 2024, it was announced that Bashar would be among the contestants of Söngvakeppnin 2024, the Icelandic national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024. He competed with the song "Vestrið villt", also released in English as "Wild West", qualifying for the final and ultimately coming second. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.