"I've been a singer since I was three" is how Bilal begins his profile in the fabulous Sounds of New York documentary series, directed by Gloria Rebecchi. Having grown up with a Muslim father and a Christian mother, he was surrounded by the music of both groups and felt a particular affinity for religious soundscapes. But it was his father who sparked his love for jazz and took him round the clubs of his hometown in Philadelphia. What a life, Bilal thought, living your life in the day and singing for small audiences at night – it was this humble dream that Bilal credits for keeping his sound unique: "I was never shooting for the popular vote."
Named after one of the prophet Muhammad's most loyal Sahabah (companions), the first mu'azzin (call to prayer singer) in history, Bilal studied jazz and contemporary music in New York and, well aware of how much jazz musicians traditionally look down on vocalists, he taught himself music theory to become an "intelligent singer." Now he wields a much-respected style fusing R&B, soul, hip-hop and jazz with a wide vocal range and a constant hunger for testing new ideas. With a list of collaborations that reads like a who's who of contemporary Black music – Kendrick Lamar, Common, Erykah Badu, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Dilla, Robert Glasper, the Roots – he is one of the most versatile and impressive figures on the scene. As we find out, New York is the perfect place for him to be: "New York has always been the hub ... everyone who is here, you can think of them as a master in some sort ... that is the sound of New York, young ideas that shape the direction of the world."
