Omar Musa

Omar Musa was born Omar bin Musa in Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia. His mother, arts journalist Helen Musa, is of Irish descent. His father, Musa bin Masran, was a Malaysian poet of Suluk heritage, whose mother was of Kedayan descent from the border areas between Malaysian Borneo and Brunei.^[1]

Musa grew up in a block of flats in Queanbeyan, a satellite city of Canberra. He has described his upbringing as influenced by the cultural diversity of his Macedonian, Korean and Serbian neighbours. He witnessed social challenges within his community, including domestic violence, which he recalled in his 2013 TEDxSydney talk, "Slam Poetry of the Streets". In the talk, he contrasted his childhood with the idealised image of Australia, stating that his experience held "no white sails of the Opera House ... no pavlova."^[2]

Musa's parents were both strong advocates for artistic expression, and provided him with access to cultural experiences such as concerts, exhibitions, and theatre performances. He has credited this exposure to the arts as a formative influence on his creative development and career.^[3]

Musa studied at the Australian National University and the University of California, Santa Cruz.^{[citation needed]}

Musa is a poet, hip hop musician, novelist, and visual artist.^[4][5][6][7] Musa's career began in poetry, and he gained national attention as a runner-up in the 2007 Australian Poetry Slam.^[8] He won the competition the following year, performing at the Sydney Opera House. He also won the Indian Ocean Poetry Slam in 2009.^[9]

Much of Musa's early work explores themes of migration, Australian racism, violence, masculinity and loneliness.^[7] His poetry collections include: The Clocks (2009),^[10] Parang (2009),^[11] Millefiori (2012),^[12] and Killernova (2018). Parang, named after the Malay word for "machete," explores themes of his Malaysian heritage, migration, and loss.^[4][11]

During a visit to family in Borneo, Musa developed an interest in woodcutting, which led him to incorporate his own woodcut artwork in Killernova, adding a visual element to his creative work.^[13] Musa's fourth collection of poetry, Killernova, also features his woodcuts.^[14]

Musa has collaborated with various musicians and hip-hop artists, including Kae Tempest,^[15] Horrorshow, Kate Miller-Heidke, L-FRESH the Lion,^[16] Marc E. Bassy, Lior, Hau Latukefu from Koolism, Joelistics, The Last Kinection, Daniel Merriweather, Akala, and Soweto Kinch.^[17]

In 2014, Musa published his debut novel, Here Come the Dogs,^[18] which centres on the lives of three disillusioned young men in small-town Australia. The novel examines issues of race, identity, and the struggles of marginalised youth.^[18] 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".^[19] Here Come the Dogs was nominated for numerous awards, including the Miles Franklin Award^[20] and the International Dublin Literary Award.^[21] It won the People's Choice Award at the ACT Book of the Year Awards.^[22] Musa was named one of the Sydney Morning Herald's Young Novelists of the Year and the novel was short-listed for the New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards in 2015.^[23][24]

In 2017, Musa released Since Ali Died, a full-length hip hop album featuring Sarah Corry, Amali Golden, and Tasman Keith.^[25] In 2018, he created a one-man play, Since Ali Died, based on the album, that premiered at Griffin Theatre in Sydney.^[26]

Musa's 2025 novel, Fierceland, is set in Sabah. It focuses on two siblings coming to terms with the legacy and death of their palm-oil baron father.^[27] It explores topics surrounding illegal logging, indigenous rights, and Borneo rainforests.^[27][28] The novel won the 2026 Victorian Premier's Prize for Fiction,^[29] was shortlisted for the fiction category of The Age Book of the Year Awards,^[30] and won the Miles Franklin Award.^[31]