I reside in Melbourne, Australia. I've just completed my tour [The Greatest Gift World Tour 2010] and now I am back in Melbourne. I spent most of my time in Egypt which is a country I absolutely love and always enjoy spending time in. The people there are amazing, the atmosphere is enticing and I will always have a place in my heart for Egypt. I go back there every year without hesitation.

The internet has been a fantastic support for music in general and various artists from around the world; both signed and unsigned. The way music is heard or retrieved has changed so much over the last decade and the internet has been a big part of that.

In the past few years I've learned so much about myself. I've learned to take control of myself and my music. I would sign with a major label, but I'd be doing it on my terms.

Mohammed Salem first burst out onto the music scene professionally in 2003 with his debut single "Nasty". It was the first song that Mohammed wrote and produced himself; although despite peaking at No.3 on the pop charts, the song was not favored amongst the critics. His debut album would soon follow in 2004 entitled "mojo" which featured a majority of tracks written by other songwriters including Australia's Lisa Butler and Chris Headford to international songwriter's such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis III. The album was meant to be an the introduction of Mohammed Salem to the world and also crossed genres from pop, rock and dance to R&B. The album did produce the remake of Brandy's "Have you ever" as a top 10 success followed by the controversial hit "Can you handle this". Following a mountain of controversy with the song, the album itself was overshadowed and Mohammed Salem went into seclusion canceling all public appearances to promote the album. Later that year, the singer combined efforts with "Tha 24's Gang" releasing the club hit "Get the club movin'" and was soon followed with two other collaborations that included Mr.Loco and Annubis on "Soldier" and "Watcha need".
In 2005, Mohammed Salem planned the release of what was known then as the "SS Project" which was his second album. The album was written and produced in secret and the singer collaborated again with Mr.Loco. In May of 2005 Mohammed released the song "Trust a try" which peaked at No.1 on Soundclick's Hot 100 Singles Charts paving the way for the singer's brand new album entitled "Mohammed Salem's Street Symphony". The album also included the number one hit "Make a change" and was part of a phenomenal six singles from one album to enter the top 10. This album dealt with social and political issues such as racism, drugs, peer pressure, bigotry and intolerance. It also narrowed down to a more specific genre; R&B. The album shipped over 46,000 units globally surpassing his very average debut album which only sold 3,000 copies.
In the Christmas of 2005, Mohammed Salem released "Fantasy" which went straight to No.1 and to this day remains as his biggest selling and most successful single to date. It became No.1 not just on the international pop charts, but also on the dance charts and the club charts.
It paved the way for the 2006 release "Ritual of Love" which sold over 63,000 copies world wide and produced two other chart topping hits with "Alive" and "Instinct". The album's theme this time was love, lust and sexual fantasies and the genre was more pop specific this time. Mohammed really expressed himself and also brought a more happy album compared to the last. On the album Mohammed also co-writes and performs with his long time best friend Mohamed Abdelaziz (aka Moey) on the song "Listen to my heart" which also peaked at No.2 on the pop charts. But the song itself made history when it jumped more than 1000 places to peak at the No.2 position. Thanks to European DJ Jenkki who produced the remixes to "Fantasy"; Mohammed Salem's status in Europe had grown to epic proportions and the singer re-released one of the songs on the album "We were meant to be" with Dutch lyrics by a Dutch rapper as an alternative version of the song as a gift to his European fans.
However, it was his dark, depressing and very intimate album in 2007 that lifted Mohammed Salem's success to a complete and other level. "The Chronicles of Mimi" to this day remains the singer's most personal and most revealing album to date and selling over 170,000 copies world wide. All five singles released from the album went to #1 and pushed Mohammed's total album sales to more than a quarter of a million. On this album Mohammed reveals a personal side to him, a side of struggle, self doubt and self exploration. He deals with depression, sadness, abuse of all flavors and self-esteem. On this album, the genre that Mohammed tackles is rock and he does it well.
Later that year, Mohammed launched his first official tour; a world tour that saw 67 shows completely sold out. In early 2008, Mohammed completed his world tour and came back to Australia but was hit with a mystery illness that to this day doctors are yet to identify.
Mohammed was struck down, unable to breathe properly, unable to walk and hospitalised for over two months.
In early March the singer began a slow recovery and put his energy into his music. Whilst hot on the heels of his last album which was still going strong, the singer decided to release his brand new single "Peepshow". This time the new album's theme is sex and regarding the genre? Mohammed crosses over to dance with this album and with the song "Balady" he manages to become the only artist in history to have had four songs from four individual genres go to number one. Mohammed also hits the road with "Mohammed Salem's Peepshow" a new tour but not a world tour. Critics also praised the singer for his song "Open your eyes" which was a song in memory of victims of 9/11. Finally, "OUT" was Mohammed's fifth album and although considered by some to be a commercial let down in sales compared to the previous album, Mohammed Salem's status continues to soar.
After completing his last tour, Mohammed decided to go on a hiatus from music and take some time off. Initially the singer felt he was pushing himself in his work and began to lose the passion for writing.
Although 18 months later, the singer was back in the studio writing and recording and as 2010 approaches, Mohammed Salem is preparing for the release of his sixth studio album. With the album, Mohammed was trying to keep it top secret as he did with his second album back in 2005. However, as some tracks are leaked to radio and clubs, critics and fans can only rave about the singer's new style and new direction. Throughout his career, Mohammed has worked with a string of talented songwriters, producers and artists that have included Janet Jackson, Akon, Amy Lee (Evanescence), Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis III, Metallica and his own friends. This new album is no exception with the amount of talent and collaborations set to match if not exceed the number he has worked with in the past put together.
The new album "The Greatest Gift" was released in March 2010. The album produced the #1 hit "Make Me Feel" which became Mohammed's 13th number one hit. Mohammed also went on tour, his second world tour and his third major tour overall. The album includes collaborations with a number of artists including Anastacia, R. Kelly, Bono, Mary J Blige and many more.

Musically, I am driven by various artists and various genres. My debut album "mojo" was very eclectic with a bit of pop, rock, dance and some urban grooves. With "Street Symphony" I dug deep into my urban roots and produced a more solid R&B album. With "Ritual of Love" I decided to make that transition to pop and explore that further. My last album "The Chronicles of Mimi" was exploring my rock side. With "OUT" it was more focused on dance with a hint of R&B. My latest album "The Greatest Gift" has drifted more toward R&B and holds special significance to me because I wrote this in dedication to family and friends.
My inspirations stem from Janet Jackson to Pink Floyd ... Linkin Park to Anastacia or Whitney Houston and R. Kelly to Coldplay.

Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt. They are two of my favourite cities to perform in. I love performing live and the atmosphere there is amazing and fantastic. As long as I perform, I'll always make room to perform live there.

BRAND NEW SINGLE "GOOD GIRL, BAD GIRL" OUT JULY 5TH!