Mustafa was born and raised in Regent Park, downtown Toronto and is of Sudanese heritage. He first received accolades as an award-winning poet and songwriter for artists including The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and Camila Cabello and found new audiences with the release of his critically acclaimed and soul-stirring EP, When Smoke Rises, in 2021. Since then, he has used his voice to highlight violence and gentrification in his hometown and curated benefit concerts raising thousands for humanitarian crises in Gaza and Sudan. “There are people in the world who may not know if I don’t communicate it and there are many trying to protect their relationships with people of power,” he says. “But, for my peace of mind, I need to know that I did what I could.”
Dunya is predominantly a folk album, saturated with soft, soothing vocals, but Mustafa explores conflicts there, too, such as in the single “Gaza Is Calling” (the video for which features his friend, Bella Hadid). “When I made the record, [Gaza] wasn’t in the height of such violence. I was performing some of these songs in Sudan two years ago,” he says. “To see the record recontextualised, all I can hope is to be is a reminder of our truth and of a people who are actively working against systems that are infringing upon their rights to live.”
Posted from: https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a62386241/with-his-new-album-dunya-mustafa-is-keeping-the-faith/
