Omar Musa

Omar bin Musa is a Malaysian-Australian author, poet, rapper, and visual artist from Queanbeyan, New South Wales. He has released four hip hop records, four books of poetry, and the novel Here Come the Dogs, which was long-listed for the Miles Franklin Award and the International Dublin Literary Award. Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year in 2015.

Career
Musa was runner up in the 2007 Australian Poetry Slam, before winning in 2008 at the Sydney Opera House. He went on to win the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2009.

Musa has published four books of poetry: The Clocks, Parang, Millefiori, and Killernova. Much of Musa's early work deals with the themes of migration, Australian racism, violence, masculinity, and loneliness. Meaning "machete" in Malay, Parang deals with his Malaysian heritage, migration, and loss.

He has performed and collaborated with numerous musicians and hip hop artists, including Kae Tempest, Horrorshow, Kate Miller-Heidke, L-FRESH the LION, Marc E. Bassy, Lior, Hau Latukefu from Koolism, Joelistics, The Last Kinection, Daniel Merriweather, Mantra, Akala, and Soweto Kinch.

Musa's debut novel Here Come The Dogs was published by Penguin Books (Australia) in 2014. The story centres around the lives of three disaffected young men in small town Australia. The Guardian Australia described the work as examining "race, identity and the unrealised dreams of disempowered Australian youths". The Los Angeles Times called the novel "rousing" and "searing", and said that "with compassion and urgency, Here Come the Dogs excavates the pain of those who struggle to remain part of a ruthless equation that has been determined by others." Here Come the Dogs was nominated for numerous awards, such as the Miles Franklin Award and the International Dublin Literary Award, and won the People's Choice Award at the ACT Book of the Year Awards. Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year and short-listed for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards in 2015.

In 2017, Musa released Since Ali Died, a full-length hip hop album featuring Sarah Corry, Amali Golden and Tasman Keith. In 2018, he created a one-man play, Since Ali Died, based upon the album, that premiered at Griffin Theatre in Sydney, Australia.

While visiting family in Borneo, Musa attended a woodcutting workshop and quickly became enthralled with the artform. Musa's fourth collection of poetry, Killernova, also features his woodcuts.

Books

 * The Clocks (2009)
 * Parang (2013)
 * Here Come the Dogs (2014)
 * Millefiori (2017)
 * Killernova (2021: Australia, Penguin) (2022: UK, Broken Sleep Books)

Plays

 * Since Ali Died (2018)