''Dunya'' () is the debut studio album by Canadian folk singer Mustafa, released on September 27, 2024, through

Arts & Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

domestically and

Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. History In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public resear ...

internationally. Collaborators on the album include

Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...

Daniel Caesar Ashton Simmonds (born April 5, 1995), known professionally as Daniel Caesar, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. After independently building a following through the release of two EPs, ''Praise Break'' (2014) and ''Pilgrim's Paradise'' (2015) ...

Rosalía Rosalia Vila Tobella (born 25 September 1992), known mononymously as Rosalía (, ), is a Spanish Pop music, pop and flamenco singer. She has been described as an "atypical pop star" due to her genre-bending musical styles. After being enthral ...

Nicolás Jaar Nicolas Jaar (, ; né Nicolás Jaar; born January 10, 1990) is a Chilean-American composer and musician. Among his notable works are the albums ''Space Is Only Noise'' (2011), Sirens (Nicolas Jaar album), ''Sirens'' (2016), and ''Cenizas'' (2020 ...

JID Destin Choice Route (born October 31, 1990), better known by his stage name JID (also stylized J.I.D), is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscop ...

, and

Clairo Claire Elizabeth Cottrill (born August 18, 1998), known professionally as Clairo, is an American singer-songwriter. She began posting music on the internet at age 13. Clairo rose to prominence following the viral success of the music video for ...

. Most of the album's writing and production was done abroad, including in

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

, and its songs incorporate traditional

Arabic musical instruments Arabic musical instruments can be broadly classified into three categories: string instruments (chordophones), wind instruments (aerophones), and percussion instruments. They evolved from ancient civilizations in the region. Chordophones Pl ...

such as the oud. The album received widespread acclaim and appeared on a number of critics' year-end lists, as well as being long-listed for the Polaris music prize. It was supported by five singles: "Name of God", "Imaan", "Gaza Is Calling", "SNL", and "Old Life". The music video for "Name of God" won the 2024

Prism Prize The Prism Prize is a national juried award recognizing the artistry of the modern music video in Canada.Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

to Sudanese immigrants, Mustafa grew up in the

Regent Park Regent Park is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario built in the late 1940s as a public housing project managed by Toronto Community Housing. It sits on what used to be a significant part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood and ...

community housing project with a largely immigrant population. At twelve years old, his recital of his poem "A Single Rose" gained attention, which led to him performing it at the Canadian International Documentary Festival in 2009. As a teenager, Mustafa joined the hip hop collective Halal Gang under the moniker Mustafa the Poet. As a solo artist, Mustafa's debut EP, '' When Smoke Rises'', explores grief from the death of Halal Gang member

Smoke Dawg Jahvante Jahqwane Sheldon Smart ( – ), known professionally as Smoke Dawg, was a Canadian rapper from Toronto, Ontario. He was a part of hip hop collective Halal Gang alongside Mustafa the Poet, Puffy L'z, Safe, and Mo-G who come together w ...

, and was released in 2021 to widespread acclaim. With influences from fellow Canadian folk singers

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, forming the folk rock group Buffalo Springfield. Since the begi ...

and

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

, the EP went on to win the

Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year The Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year is presented annually at Canada's Juno Awards to honour the best album of the year in the alternative rock and/or indie rock genres. The award was first presented in 1995 under the name Best Alternati ...

and was shortlisted for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize. The music video for the track "Ali" won the

Prism Prize The Prism Prize is a national juried award recognizing the artistry of the modern music video in Canada. Mustafa has discussed feelings of bitterness towards Toronto, calling it a "hellhole" and describing a lack of connection due to the deaths of numerous friends and what he considers a lack of accountability regarding crime in the city. In late 2021, he played his first hometown show at

Massey Hall Massey Hall is a performing arts auditorium in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Opened in 1894, it is known for its outstanding acoustics and was the long-time hall of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir. Although original ...

, with the venue surrounded by heavy police presence. Since then, Mustafa decided to spend much of his time abroad, writing and recording in Sweden, the UK, and the US. The first songs for ''Dunya'' were written on a trip to Egypt with songwriting collaborator Simon Hessman; there, they searched for new influences, which they found in traditional

like the oud. Mustafa spent time at a jazz café in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

, where he met with local musicians to persuade them to record with him. He travelled to Sudan in 2022, where he visited his extended family, and he performed ''

Umrah The Umrah () is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, located in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. It can be undertaken at any time of the year, in contrast to the '' Ḥajj'' (; "pilgrimage"), which has specific d ...

'' in early 2023. Mustafa's older brother Mohamed was fatally shot in downtown Toronto in July 2023, which further exacerbated his disillusionment toward Toronto. Wanting to create a "traditional,

minimalist In visual arts, music, and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in the post-war era in western art. The movement is often interpreted as a reaction to abstract expressionism and modernism; it anticipated contemporary post-mi ...

folk album", Mustafa approached

of the National and

Big Red Machine The Big Red Machine is a nickname for the Cincinnati Reds baseball team that dominated the National League from 1970 to 1979 and is widely recognized as being among the best in baseball history. The team won six National League West Division t ...

, who invited him to Long Pond Studio in

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

, New York; Mustafa served as an opening act for the National at the Ottawa Folk Festival more than a decade prior. The two worked on songs for ''Dunya'' over the span of a week, enlisting help from

DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), known professionally as DJ Dahi or simply Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been ...

and

, and using

field recording Field recording is the production of audio recordings outside recording studios, and the term applies to recordings of both natural and human-produced sounds. It can also include the recording of electromagnetic fields or vibrations using diff ...

s to create an "electronic element that still felt organic".

Artwork and release

The album cover depicts the application of

kohl Kohl may refer to: *Kohl (cosmetics), an ancient eye cosmetic *Kohl (surname), including a list of people with the surname *Kohl's Kohl's Corporation (Kohl's is stylized in all caps) is an American department store retail chain store, chain. ...

, a traditional Islamic practice done before people went to war; Mustafa sought to represent both faith and violence, which he felt were two large themes on the album. ''Dunya'' was announced on July 11, 2024, accompanied by the release of the single "SNL". The album was released on September 27, 2024, through

Arts & Crafts Productions Arts & Crafts Productions is a Canadian music-focused media and artist services company that offers services as an independent record label, management firm, merchandiser, and publisher worldwide. It has earned 21 Juno Awards. Arts & Crafts has ...

in Canada and

abroad. The Japanese edition of the album on vinyl was sold through Big Love Records and includes a limited edition '' obi'' and a signed print.

Promotion

Five singles were released from the album. Opening track "Name of God", about Mustafa's relationship with Islam, was released on October17, 2023. Its self-directed music video won the

Prism Prize The Prism Prize is a national juried award recognizing the artistry of the modern music video in Canada.Sudanese clothing Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

, dances, and rituals. "Imaan", released on March5, 2024, is "a love song between two people in search of God and purpose". Its music video stars model

Imaan Hammam Imaan Hammam (born 5 October 1996) is a Dutch fashion model. As of 2024, she has appeared on the cover of ''Vogue'' 22 times, four times on the American edition. She currently ranks on models.com's "Industry Icons" and was ranked on its "Top Sex ...

and was directed by Mustafa and

Nabil Elderkin Nabil Elderkin (born February 11, 1982) is an American-born Australian film and music video director and photographer, who is of Iranian and American descent. He is mononymously credited as Nabil in his videos. Elderkin has directed videos for ...

, while

Ramy Youssef Ramy Youssef (, ; born March 26, 1991) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, producer, and director. He is known for his role as Ramy Hassan on the Hulu comedy series '' Ramy'' (2019–2022), for which he won a Golden Globe A ...

served as creative director. "Gaza Is Calling", written in 2020 about Mustafa's childhood friendship with a Palestinian boy, was released as the third single on June11, 2024, with proceeds benefitting the

Palestine Children's Relief Fund The Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization established in 1991, by, according to its website, "concerned people in the U.S. to address the medical and humanitarian crisis facing Palestinian ...

. Its music video, directed by

Hiam Abbass Hiam Abbass (; ; born 30 November 1960), also spelled Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director with Israeli and French citizenship. She is known for her roles in films such as ''The Syrian Bride'' (2004), '' Paradise Now'' (2005) ...

, stars Palestinian American model

Bella Hadid Isabella Khair Hadid ( ; born October 9, 1996) is an American model. Hadid has made 35 appearances on international ''Vogue'' covers. In 2022, she was named Model of the Year by the British Fashion Council. ''Time'' magazine named her one ...

and Gazan rapper MC Abdul. It was mostly filmed in April 2023 but also includes footage from

Jenin Jenin ( ; , ) is a city in the West Bank, Palestine, and is the capital of the Jenin Governorate. It is a hub for the surrounding towns. Jenin came under Israeli occupied territories, Israeli occupation in 1967, and was put under the administra ...

, Palestine, from June2024 during the

Gaza war The Gaza war is an armed conflict in the Gaza Strip and southern Israel fought since 7 October 2023. A part of the unresolved Israeli–Palestinian conflict, Israeli–Palestinian and Gaza–Israel conflict, Gaza–Israel conflicts dating ...

. The fourth single "SNL" (an acronym for "Street N— Lullaby") and its self-directed music video were released on July11, 2024, the same day as the album was announced. "Old Life" was released as the album's fifth and final single on August27, 2024, with a music video directed by Tanima Mehrotra. A music video for the

collaboration "Leaving Toronto" was released on October8, 2024. To promote the album, Mustafa played a Lost in the Dunya show at the

Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the esports team Toronto Defiant. Opened ...

in Toronto on November7, 2024. In December 2024, Mustafa announced the Lost in the Dunya Tour, with dates in the first half of 2025. The concert tour has shows in the US and Canada in February, followed by shows in England, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Ethiopia, and Sudan in May. To coincide with the tour's announcement, Mustafa released a live performance video of "What Good Is a Heart?", "Leaving Toronto" (with Caesar), and "I'll Go Anywhere", featuring Kibrom Birhane on

masenqo The masenqo (; Tigrinya: ጭራ-ዋጣ (ዋጣ), also known as masinko or mesenko, is a single-stringed bowed lute commonly found in the musical traditions of Eritrea and Ethiopia. As with the krar, this instrument is used by Ethiopian minstre ...

and

krar The ''krar'' (Geʽez: ክራር) is a five-or-six stringed bowl-shaped lyre from Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is tuned to a pentatonic scale. A modern ''krar'' may be Instrument amplifier, amplified, much in the same way as an electric guitar or el ...

Critical reception

''Dunya'' received widespread acclaim from critics, and appeared on a number of year-end lists; ''

Billboard Canada ''Billboard'' (stylized in lowercase since 2013) is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events and styles related to the ...

'' called it "one of the most acclaimed albums of 2024". Critics praised the blend of traditional Arabic musical instruments and modern Western sounds, as well as Mustafa's vocal versatility. Paul Attard of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' called the album "a stunning work of autobiographical reflection", while Jen Long of ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'' complimented its "timeless soul and sweeping heart". Kelsey Adams of

CBC Music CBC Music (formerly known as CBC FM, CBC Stereo and CBC Radio 2) is a Canadian FM radio network operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It used to concentrate on classical and jazz. In 2007 and 2008, the network transitioned towards a ...

said "''Dunya'' sounds both nostalgic and fresh, a new take on a well-trodden genre". Annabel Martin of ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

'' complimented Mustafa on "finding beauty in the ugly" and " arvingout his own section within folk." Jonathan Bernstein of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' praised the "rich melody and understated hooks" of ''Dunya'', calling it "a gorgeous treatise on rage and faith". In a three-star review,

Alexis Petridis Alexis Petridis (born 13 September 1971) is an English journalist. He is the head Rock music, rock and pop music critic for ''The Guardian'', and a regular contributor for ''GQ''. In addition to his music journalism for the paper, he has written ...

of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' felt that the album's "songs are well written and melodically strong" but that "they start to blur into one" due to their slow and melancholy nature. It was also selected as one of the 40 best Canadian albums comprising the 2025

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...

long-list.

Track listing

Notes * "Imaan" incorporates elements of "Nujum Al-lail", written and performed by Abdel Gadir Salim.

Personnel

Instrumentation * Mustafa – vocals (all tracks) * Ben Reed – bass (tracks 1, 4, 10) *

– guitar (tracks 1, 3–5), piano (1, 4), synthesizer (1, 5), bass (5) * Simon Hessman – guitar (tracks 1–8, 12), claps (2, 4), drums (2), percussion (2, 5, 7–9, 12), sampler (2–4, 6, 9),

dulcimer The term dulcimer refers to two families of musical string instruments. Hammered dulcimers The word ''dulcimer'' originally referred to a trapezoidal zither similar to a psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers". Variants of ...

(4), piano (5, 7, 9), bass (8), synthesizer (8) * Kibrom Birhane – mesenko (track 1), strings (4, 7) * Dylan Wiggins – sampler (track 2), claps (6) *

Rodaidh McDonald Roderick William George "Rodaidh" McDonald is a Scottish record producer, and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. His production and mixing credits include ...

– bass (track 3) * Samuel Kauffman-Skloff – drums (tracks 3, 10) *

Snoh Aalegra Snoh Sheri Nowrozi (born Shahrzad Fooladi, 13 September 1987), better known by her stage name Snoh Aalegra (), is a Swedish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''Feels (Snoh Aalegra album), Feels,'' was released in 2017, followed by ''Ugh, Those ...

– background vocals (track 3) *

– background vocals (track 5) *

Puffy L'z Habib Mohamed (born August 2, 1995), better known by his stage name Puffy L'z, is a rapper and singer from Toronto, Ontario. He is of Somali descent. Puffy L'z released his debut studio album '' Take No L'z'' on July 19, 2019, and it received a 6/1 ...

– background vocals (track 5) *

– background vocals (tracks 6, 12) *

– background vocals (track 8), drums (8) *

–

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

(track 9), sound effects (9) *

– vocals (track 10) *

– background vocals (track 11), flute (11), keyboard (11) * Tarek Elazhary – percussion (track 12) Post-production * Dale Becker – mastering (tracks 2–12) * Katie Harvey – mastering (tracks 2–4, 6–8, 10–12) * Nate Mingo – mastering (tracks 2–4, 6–8, 10–12) * Noah McCorkle – mastering (tracks 2–4, 6–8, 10–12) * Rodaidh McDonald – mixing (tracks 2–12) * Bella Blasko –

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

(tracks 5–6)

References

{{Authority control 2024 debut albums Albums produced by Aaron Dessner Albums produced by Rodaidh McDonald Arabic-language albums Arts & Crafts Productions albums Mustafa the Poet albums Jagjaguwar albums