Ian Brown - Ian Brown's Arabic Music

Ian Brown is penning English lyrics for a Middle Eastern pop star who usually records in Arabic.

Ian Brown is writing an album for a Middle Eastern pop star.

The former Stone Roses frontman says he is open to collaborating with anyone who approaches him, and is particularly excited about his forthcoming project with Sami Yusuf.

He said: "If I like the music, then I'll do it. At the moment I'm working with a band called Sohodolls. I met them on the M6 about two months ago. I told them I was a bit busy with my own album but give it a couple of months and we'll get it on.

"I've just written some songs for a Muslim singer called Sami Yusuf, who's an Islamic singer who sings in Arabic and he's really big in the Middle East. He wants to write an album in English, so he's written the music and the melodies and I've just got to do the lyrics.

"I'm always happy to collaborate. So if someone's got talent and some sort of work and they're a little bit different, I'm there."

As well as working with Sami, Ian also has several other collaborations in the pipeline.

He explained to the Yorkshire Evening Post newspaper: "I'm supposed to have done something with Scratch Perverts for the last five years, but they've not got it together yet. Coldcut are supposed to be sending me a song, Unkle have asked me to come and do something on their next album."