OMAR SHERIFF
Karpe released their latest project, Omar Sheriff, in January 2022 and immediately broke the Norwegian streaming record for an album – of all time. Omar Sheriff is a story about roots, belonging, family and upbringing, told in a seamless mix of traditions and languages. Norwegian and Arabic, Gujarati, Hindi and English. It’s diaspora pop.
The biggest song on the album, "Paf.no", is a cover of Sidi Mansour, a Tunisian folk tune - with a chorus in Arabic went viral. This extremely ambitious musical and visual mix of languages and references has clearly struck a nerve and when they headlined our NEON festival earlier this summer the show was literally registered on the Richters Scale.
Director Kavar Singh first visualized the concept in a film that is still running in a non stop loop on http://www.omarsheriff.no/. No beginning, no end. Impossible to start, stop or scroll. The audience enters the loop, an Indian-Arabic Sci Fi universe, a lucid dream - and watch until they feel fulfilled. The story is set in an old theatre building in the city of Skien, Norway. Karpe bought the 3000 square metre building in 2018, because they wanted to invite 100 of their most dedicated fans to a once in a lifetime immersive experience, using every nook and cranny to tailor the experience to each guest individually.
Following the critically acclaimed release, they once again made concert history when they teamed up with Quickstyle - the legendary global dance crew, that went viral with their famous wedding show last year, for their most spectacular show yet. A record breaking residency in Oslo Spektrum Arena – ten shows in one month, 115 000 tickets sold (an all time record in the arena).
...with more than two decades as one of Norway’s most beloved acts, the message is clear, deliberate and was even delivered over the loud speaker by an AI-affected female voice: This is the most beautiful show in the world.
- ROLLING STONE
… Its message of unity and tolerance is unmistakable.
- VARIETY
Subtle and brilliant megalomania.
- VG