Salem, more formally known as Salem al Fakir, is a Swedish alternative singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with an eclectic soul-pop style who made his chart-topping album debut in 2007 with This Is Who I Am. Born Lars Salem al Fakir on October 27, 1981, in Huddinge, Sweden, he began learning to play the violin at age four and later studied jazz piano. Salem began his recording career as a backing musician, contributing violin and piano to Governor Andy's Torra Benens Dal (2002) and Örjan Hultén Trio's Ayouni (2005), among other albums. He also worked closely with the Swedish rap duo Snook, producing much of their second album, Är (2006). As a solo artist, Salem made his commercial recording debut in 2006 with Dream Girl, a five-track EP whose title track reached the Top 30 of the Swedish singles chart. He made his full-length album debut in 2007 with This Is Who I Am. Released in association with EMI, This Is Who I Am topped the albums chart and spawned the singles "Good Song," "It's True," and "This Is Who I Am." Moreover, a dance remix of "It's True" by Axwell and Sebastian Ingrosso was a club hit. Not only a commercial blockbuster, This Is Who I Am was also a critical success, earning Salem seven Swedish Grammy nominations, three of which (Best Newcomer, Best Producer, Best Composer) he won. Meanwhile, he collaborated with the group H3FK (essentially a continuation of the Örjan Hultén Trio, in which he plays violin and piano) on the album Nubisha Nätter (2008). Known up until this point as Salem al Fakir, he shortened his name to simply Salem for the release of his second album, Astronaut (2009). A Top Ten hit, Astronaut includes the singles "It's Only You, Pt. 2," "Astronaut," and "Roxy." ~ Jason Birchmeier