Inherit and innovate

With a shy smile that clashes with his strong presence on stage, Omar recounts the hardships he encountered in pursuit of his passion for music.

At 11 years old, he first came in contact with music through a cassette player given by his father. Captivated by this discovery, he decided to build his own guitar with salvaged scraps. Worried that this passion for music could prevent Omar from learning the craft of his family, his father later smashed his guitar and forbade him from ever playing music again.

“I was forbidden by my parents, and by the whole of society. I come from a caste of blacksmiths and it is not allowed for us to make music,” said Omar. He obeyed his father and eventually learned blacksmithing, but never forgot his love for music.

In 2010, at 30 years old, Omar moved to Toulouse, in south France, where he made and sold Tuareg jewelry in a public market. Far from his family, he was now free to indulge in music. Completely self-taught, Omar learned by strumming his guitar and jamming with other musicians when clients were scarce.

This is how Algerian Menad Moussaoui, now the band’s bassist, spotted him. Drummer Stéphane