Omar Souleyman is a dabke musician from northeastern Syria, where, before exile, he was a prolific and popular wedding performer. In 2007, his music was repackaged and resold to the world via the American record label Sublime Frequencies. Since then, Souleyman has played Glastonbury, collaborated with Björk and ended up on stage at a Nobel Peace Prize concert. Much has been written about the black-swan quality of his career trajectory, how his music—so commonplace in the Levant—became “cult” for an audience outside of the context in which it was originally produced, and what that means for cultural colonialism. Souleyman will not entertain questions pertaining to his public image, but it’s obvious that he exudes as much charisma as his music does danceability. Asked about his new album and daily life, Souleyman tells us that work is his priority, and that he yearns to return to Syria.

Your song “Warni Warni” was played at a wedding I recently attended. What makes your music so well-suited to such a specific occasion? It makes people dance. And that song is particularly beautiful because it talks about two people who are in love.

Who sang at your own wedding? Unfortunately, there was no music played at my wedding because someone in my family died around the same time. And, in Syria, whenever someone dies, either we postpone the wedding or we have a silent one. So, my own wedding was done without any sign of joy or celebration.

You have a large family. Are you easy to live with? I have six sons and three daughters and I’m very easy to live with! I can adapt pretty quickly.

What is one lesson you have instilled in each of your children? Respect is the most important lesson I’ve taught them—to respect those who are older and to maintain ethics wherever they go. They are all studying, and I always advise them to keep on doing it.

What’s the first thing you do after waking up? I drink a cup of coffee and smoke a cigarette right after I go to the bathroom. I especially love Turkish coffee.

Do you consider anything to be missing from your life? I miss going back to my country. That’s the only thing I need. Otherwise, I don’t lack anything.

Is there anything in your life that you feel you have too much of? No, nothing exaggerated. Just the things I need. My only hope is for the war to end in Syria so that I can go back and live with the people that I have always known and have always lived with. Life in Europe and the USA is pleasant, but a human being cannot really be at peace unless he is in his own country.

What causes you most stress? I’m not so easily stressed—it takes a lot. But if there’s a problem hindering my work in any way, then I get really stressed because I believe that work is my priority in life. But I usually don’t let it out on other people. I only stress out between me and myself.

What is the biggest influence on your work at present? The audience is always my biggest influence, or my biggest motivation. I have to face a new public every week. I have to be ready and I have to renew my style each time. Sometimes, I get inspired by old tunes but I don’t cover songs from other artists.

You often collaborate with other musicians. What’s your favorite part of that process? I’ve always collaborated with other artists. Even when I was in Syria, I would consult poets about lyrics. Six or seven years ago, I recorded a song with Björk. She was the only person with whom I’ve worked very closely in the West. I visited her house.