Mo Sabri grew up in East Tennessee with Pakistani immigrant parents who played qawwali and Sufi devotional music alongside country classics. His hometown, Johnson City, is near Bristol, Tennessee, known as the birthplace of country music, shaping his musical identity. Sabri now creates country music in Nashville while proudly identifying as Pakistani American and Muslim. His work includes original country songs and a cover of the qawwali “Tajdar e Haram.” On May 31, he will perform with the Nashville Symphony, presenting an orchestral rendition of his new album, Tennessee Desi, blending Appalachian country sounds with qawwali. “Desi” refers to the South Asian diaspora.
"Today, he is a country music artist in Nashville who proudly identifies as a Pakistani American and a Muslim and creates music drawing from those worlds. On his YouTube channel, you'll find original country songs like "Married in a Barn" but also a cover of the qawwali "Tajdar e Haram." And he's making music history. On May 31, this Muslim country singer will play with the Nashville Symphony. They will perform an orchestral rendition of his new album, Tennessee Desi, a unique fusion of Appalachian country sounds and qawwali, which comes from the Arabic word qaul, meaning "to speak.""
"Although country, which descended from Black music, is associated with a white conservative audience, it felt like the natural choice for Sabri as a musical artist. In Johnson City, his life resembled the lyrics of the country music songs he listened to. "There was a lot of sitting on your porch and watching the sunset, driving dow""
""This is a really big deal," says Charles Alexander, a digital strategist of Malaysian Indian descent who has worked in Nashville's music industry for 16 years. "It speaks volumes in terms of diversity and representation in the types of music that have germinated in Tennessee." As for Sabri, his upcoming show is a homecoming. "In a way, it's a reflection of who I am as a first-generation American, who's half-country, half-desi," he says."
""I feel most free writing country music" Although country, which descended from Black music, is associated with a white conservative audience, it felt like the natural choice for Sabri as a musical artist. In Johnson City, his life resembled the lyrics of the country music songs he listened to. "There was a lot of sitting on your porch and watching the sunset, driving dow""
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