Dua Saleh

Biography

Dua Saleh, a Sudanese-American non-binary artist, was born in Kassala, Sudan, during the Second Civil War and fled with their family at age five, first to a refugee camp in Eritrea before immigrating to the Rondo neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the United States. Raised in a Muslim household with Tunjur heritage, Saleh's early life was steeped in Arabic language, Sudanese poetry, spoken word traditions, and family music-making with instruments like the oud and drums. Initially aspiring to be a music journalist, Saleh turned to spoken-word poetry in high school and college, performing at open mics for Button Poetry and engaging in activism, including leading a walkout against the school-to-prison pipeline amid personal struggles with depression.

Saleh's music career emerged unexpectedly around 2017-2018, transitioning from poetry when they began singing a cappella at events and recording demos on their phone for SoundCloud. Their debut single 'First Take' (2017) led to collaboration with producer Psymun, resulting in the critically acclaimed EP Nūr (2019, meaning 'light' in Arabic, reflecting their gender-neutral identity), followed by Rosetta (2020), CROSSOVER (2021), and debut album I SHOULD CALL THEM (2024), blending alternative R&B, electronica, glitchy alt-pop, black metal, and Afro beats with themes of identity, love, sapphic desire, resistance, and environmental anxiety. Saleh gained wider recognition acting as non-binary student Cal Bowman in Netflix's Sex Education season three, advocating for trans and non-binary representation, and co-writing on Travis Scott's UTOPIA track 'MY EYES'. Their genre-defying style, poetic lyricism, and boundary-pushing fashion have earned accolades like GAY TIMES Rising Star Honor and praise as a 'genius' from Moses Sumney.

At around 30 years old, Saleh continues to evolve, with over 94 million streams across EPs, a growing global fanbase (260,000+ monthly Spotify listeners as of recent reports, now at popularity 48), and ongoing projects including new music and performances, solidifying their legacy as a pioneering Black R&B innovator from the Midwest.

Fun Facts

• Saleh's music breakthrough came 'out of nowhere' during a depressive episode in college; they had no prior singing experience, never joined choir, but felt compelled to sing and record on their phone after poetry slams.
• The EP Nūr (2019) translates to 'light' in Arabic, chosen to reflect emerging from depression and their non-binary identity, with Arabic permeating their music like on bilingual track 'Smut'.
• Started poetry sophomore year of college because they were broke and needed money, performing to test songs at open mics where audiences responded well.
• While filming Sex Education in Wales, Saleh cooked Sudanese food at home and struggled with local cuisine like chips on a Welsh breakfast.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Sudanese family and traditions - Cultural influences from family singers, drummers, oud players, and spoken word/poetry recitations in refugee camp and Sudanese roots (Informs lyrical style across all releases) [Childhood onward]
• Button Poetry - Local publisher that amplified spoken-word performances, bridging to music (Poetry videos leading to music transition) [High school/college, ~2015-2018]

Key Collaborators

• Psymun - Minneapolis-based producer who discovered 'First Take', produced debut EP and executive produced second (Nūr (2019), Rosetta (2020)) [2018-2020]
• Gallant - Featured collaborator on debut album (I SHOULD CALL THEM (2024)) [2024]
• serpentwithfeet - Featured collaborator on debut album (I SHOULD CALL THEM (2024)) [2024]
• Sid Sriram - Featured collaborator on debut album (I SHOULD CALL THEM (2024)) [2024]
• Travis Scott - Co-writer on track ('MY EYES' from UTOPIA) [2023]

External Links

• Spotify