This country star brings a Pakistani vibe to his songs : NPR

Growing up in East Tennessee, singer-songwriter Mo Sabri was surrounded by music from his Pakistani immigrant parents. They played the rhythmic sounds of qawwali, a Sufi Muslim devotional music, as well as country classics by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. Johnson City, Sabri’s hometown, is just a short drive from Bristol, Tenn., the birthplace of country music.

These musical influences shaped Sabri profoundly. Now a country music artist based in Nashville, he proudly embraces his Pakistani American and Muslim identity by blending these influences in his work. His YouTube channel features original country songs like “Married in a Barn” alongside covers of qawwali like “Tajdar e Haram.”

Sabri is set to make music history on May 31 by performing with the Nashville Symphony. Together, they will present an orchestral version of his new album, Tennessee Desi, which uniquely fuses Appalachian country sounds with qawwali. The term qawwali comes from the Arabic word qaul, meaning “to speak.”

“This is a significant event,” says Charles Alexander, a digital strategist of Malaysian Indian descent who has been part of Nashville’s music industry for 16 years. “It highlights the diversity and representation in Tennessee’s music scene.”

For Sabri, the upcoming show is a homecoming. “It’s like a reflection of my identity as a first-generation American, who’s half-country, half-desi,” he says. “Desi” is a term for people from the South Asian diaspora.

“I feel most free writing country music”

Though country music, which evolved from Black music, is often associated with a white conservative audience, Sabri felt it was a natural fit for him. His upbringing in Johnson City mirrored the themes in country songs.

“There was a lot of sitting on your porch and watching the sunset, driving down the road in your truck with the windows down,” he describes.

For Sabri, country music’s pursuit of truth was another draw. “I feel most free writing country music. It’s almost punk rock — that I can talk about being Muslim in a place where most people think I shouldn’t or can’t.”

“More similar than different”

Sabri began exploring qawwali during the pandemic to connect with his parents and cultural roots. “Having never lived in Pakistan, it felt like a way to stay in touch with my heritage,” he explains. He believes he may be distantly related to the famous Sabri Brothers, a renowned qawwali duo from Pakistan, which adds to his sense of responsibility to honor the genre.

Originating from India and Pakistan, qawwali is a musical form of Sufi Muslim poetry, featuring singing, handclaps, and drumbeats to elevate listeners. Sabri recalls how the music always got people dancing and clapping at home and at gatherings with other South Asian families in Johnson City.

His album Tennessee Desi includes a cover of the bluegrass song “Rocky Top,” an ode to Tennessee’s hills, and a qawwali titled “Allah Hoo,” narrating Islam’s creation story. While preparing for the concert, Sabri discovered that the two genres share similarities.

“Country is a folk music of Appalachia, and qawwali is a folk music of South Asia,” he says, adding that religion is a significant theme in both genres.

One challenge he faced was blending the two genres, as “qawwali doesn’t necessarily follow a Western scale, which has 12 notes,” he explains. “In Eastern music, there are microtones in between.”

Sabri found techniques to “artistically mimic the microtonal aspect” using the slide guitar, a common instrument in country and blues music. “You place a piece of metal on the string [of the guitar], and now the note is no longer exact,” he explains.

Music that bridges divides

So how do Americans perceive Sabri’s fusion of country and qawwali music? Last year, he performed in Indiana and tested an early version of his Tennessee Desi set.

“There were people from all political sides, country folks and Desi aunties in the audience, and they were all enjoying it in different ways,” he says. “It’s a testament to the fact that there are people in the South who enjoy the fusion, and there are South Asians who love country music.”

Sabri’s music has caught the attention of South Asian listeners as well. On his YouTube channel, people from the region have praised his cover of the qawwali “Tajdar e Haram.”

“Well you made my day with those beautiful words you spoke in English, never knew those verses could be taken to such heights by the wonder of translation,” writes one user. “Enchanting,” writes another.

Some users, however, have pointed out issues with his pronunciation. “Good effort,” writes another commenter. “You need to acquire a little more control over your language. I am sure with the passage of time you will be a household name.”

Sabri acknowledges that his Urdu could improve. While he understands the language fluently, he admits, “I’m a little slow when it comes to speaking.”

“From the mountains of Pakistan to the mountains of East Tennessee”

Sabri has never visited Pakistan, but he hopes to see where his parents grew up, near Rawalpindi.

His father moved to the United States in the ’70s, followed by his mother in the ’80s. “My parents came from the mountains of Pakistan, and they settled in the mountains of East Tennessee,” he shares. “They wanted me and my siblings to have the opportunities they never had — and find success.”

Performing on a prominent stage, combining music from both his parents’ homeland and his upbringing, marks a full-circle moment for Sabri.

He believes this performance is a realization of his parents’ American dream. “Me performing at the Symphony,” he says, “is their American dream come true.”