Mo Sabri

Mo Sabri is an American singer, songwriter, and filmmaker from Johnson City, Tennessee.^[1][2][3] He first rose to prominence on YouTube and is a musician credited by The Washington Post with transforming his subgenre of music.^[4] Also known for his fashion choices, Sabri has been featured in Vogue^[5] and named "Best Dressed" at the Grammy Awards.^[6] In February 2013, the positive impact of his music received further recognition and he was invited to Washington D.C. to attend breakfast with President Barack Obama.^[1][7][8] Sabri's first album, The Overnight Classic, debuted as one of the top five highest-selling albums on the iTunes World chart during its first week in 2012.^[8]

Mo Sabri
Background information
Birth name	Mo Sabri
Origin	Johnson City, Tennessee, US
Genres	Pop, Country, Hip hop, Alternative, acoustic
Occupation(s)	singer-songwriter, producer, musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, piano
Years active	2010–present
Website	mosabri.com

Early life

Mo Sabri was born in Johnson City, Tennessee to Pakistani immigrants.^[9] After playing double bass in his middle school orchestra, Mo Sabri taught himself to play guitar and started recording rap songs in high school.^[10][11] He started performing concerts worldwide when he was still a pre-medicine student at East Tennessee State University.^[7][12] He graduated from college in 2013 and became a full-time recording artist.

Career

Mo Sabri first rose to prominence at a local level after the online release of his song "Johnson City, Tennessee" in 2011.^[13] He started to tour nationally and internationally while releasing more songs on his YouTube channel and continued to gain popularity worldwide. His music videos have received millions of views^[4] and feature cameos by celebrities including Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten,^[8] Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris,^[3] Congressman Phil Roe, comedian Aziz Ansari,^[14] and rapper B.o.B.^[14]

Mo Sabri was a headlining artist at the BBC-sponsored 2011 Cardiff Mela festival in Cardiff, Wales.^[15][16]

At the 59th Grammy Awards, Sabri wore a high-fashion sherwani on the red carpet^[17] and made multiple best-dressed lists.^[6]

Sabri has been featured in national and international press including Huffington Post, The Washington Post, BBC, GEO TV, and Voice of America.^{[1][4][12][15][16][18]}

Musical style

Mo Sabri's music falls into the alternative hip hop genre.^[2] His lyrics touch on subjects such as love, society, personal struggles, religion, and it has been said that his music "transcends politics and religion".^[8] Some of his songs carry an underlying message of faith.^[4] Several of his songs have South Asian (also known as "Desi") instrumental influences.^[10]

Discography

Mo Sabri's debut album, The Overnight Classic, was released in January 2012 and was one of the top five highest-selling albums on the iTunes World chart^[8] for its first week. He is currently recording his second album.^[19]

Albums

List of albums, with year released

Title	Album details
The Overnight Classic[8]	Released: January 1, 2012 Format: CD, Digital download

Videography

• 2009: "What's Your Name Again?"
• 2011: "Johnson City, Tennessee"
• 2012: "Heaven Is Where Her Heart Is"
• 2012: "Jesus"
• 2015: "The Light"