Article Contributed by Shore Fire Media
Published on 2026-04-30
Growing up outside Beirut, trumpeter/composer and two-time GRAMMY nominee Ibrahim Maalouf spent his earliest years seeking refuge from the violence and chaos of the Lebanese Civil War. Sometimes, he found it in a basement or a bomb shelter, but more often than not, he found it in his trumpet. “Composing this very joyful music was my way of escaping the weight of reality,” the French-Lebanese global sensation and prolific artist reflects. “I created melodies that were meant for dancing and singing and partying as a way to bring light to the darkness.”
Maalouf’s 21st album, Trumpets of Michel-Ange II, out June 12, bursts with an essential feeling of joy and is a thrilling new addition to a catalog of work that explores his musical roots while fusing them with the sounds of nearly every continent. The new album is also a showcase for his four valve trumpet, an instrument designed by his father to play the quarter tones so prevalent in the music of the Middle East. Maalouf injects the album with bombast and unbridled energy, searching for common ground and striving for togetherness through the universal language of music. Trumpets of Michel-Ange II is the continuation of a new musical series that Maalouf embarked on in 2024, Trumpets of Michel-Ange, which led to a performance on KEXP and interview with NPR’s 1A. Maalouf has previously been featured in the New Yorker, New York Times, NPR and performed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Trumpets of Michel-Ange II features a jaw-dropping array of talents from across the globe, including Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty from New Orleans, percussionist/vocalist Pedrito Martinez and pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba from Cuba, vocalist Nai Barghouti from Palestine, Ghanaian-American djembe player Weedie Braimah, Indian flautist Rasika Shekar, French accordionist Richard Galliano, Brazilian guitarist Hamilton de Holanda, American bassist MonoNeon, American singer Anthony Evans and his gospel choir, and Spanish quartet Las Migas. In addition to these guests, Maalouf recorded it with an ensemble of professional trumpeters that have learned the four-valve version of the instrument, brought together through a broad educational initiative created to make it accessible to more players. The album artwork is a painting by Dutch actor and painter Timor Lukacs that reimagines the cover of the first Trumpets of Michel-Ange release, which features a photograph from 1925 of Maalouf’s grandfather’s fanfare taken in the village of Kafarakab, in the Lebanese mountains, where Maalouf was also born.
Tied to the new album, Maalouf will return to tour North America for the first time in two years. The June 19-July 1 run includes the Montreal, Toronto and Blue Note (NYC) Jazz Festivals and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. It was also just announced that Maalouf will perform at the FIFA Fan Fest concert in Vancouver on June 25. Maalouf also recently announced his biggest headlining concert ever: he will celebrate 20 years of live concerts at the 40,000 capacity Paris La Defense arena in April of 2027 (the largest arena in all of Europe). He has previously headlined the Accor Arena in Paris three times. Full concert itinerary here: https://www.ibrahimmaalouf.
In addition to the album announcement, Maalouf has been busy. The “Sexy for You (Remix)” with Jason Derulo and Kevin Gates is out now, and on April 28, he unveiled “ECHO,” an official song for the FIFA World Cup. Maalouf composed the song and is a producer on the track, and it features reggaeton icon Daddy Yankee and Jamaican superstar Shenseea. A bold reimagining of his track “Red & Black Light,” “ECHO” is a stadium-ready anthem as the World Cup draws closer.
Listen To “Las Trompetas de Nael” From Trumpets of Michel-Ange II Here: https://idol-io.ffm.to/
With “Las Trompetas de Nael” Maalouf delivers a piece that is both festive and deeply human: a dance—a kolo—and above all a living story, a circle that expands. Born of a melody “coming from several lands at once,” the track carries within it dance steps, children’s laughter, and that gentle melancholy unique to major celebrations.
Trumpets of Michel-Ange II opens with “Bring The Light,” jam packed with guests including Jon Batiste, Trombone Shorty, Pedrito Martinez, and Anthony Evans and his gospel choir. The sounds of Cuba and New Orleans have had a profound impact on Maalouf, and he sees many parallels between the musical culture of these places and in his homeland of Lebanon. Where music “is not something you just listen to - it’s something you live, something you share physically.”
“Gulham” was inspired by Gulham Ali, the great Pakistani master of ghazal singing. Maalouf says it’s also about the idea of a voice - a voice that stays with you even when the person is gone. “Oui, Je Le Veux,” is what is said during a wedding ceremony, but Maalouf elaborates that the song is about commitment, a "moment where you stop hesitating and you step into something bigger than yourself.” “Zaatar & Zeit” envisions childhood, home, something to be shared - the comforts of a simple and essential staple of Lebanese culture, the musical translation of dipping bread into zaatar and olive oil.
With Trumpets of Michel-Ange II, Maalouf confirms his role as a transmitter and visionary, while leaving the spotlight to a new generation of musicians capable of bringing to life—and inventing—the future of this singular instrument on stages and in studios around the world. As a manifesto album—vibrant and unifying—that transforms an educational initiative into a large-scale collective musical adventure. “Trumpets of Michel-Ange was born as a dream of sharing and transmission. Today, this dream takes on a new dimension: seeing these musicians express themselves together, free themselves, and carry this music on their own is the project’s most precious fulfillment,” says Maalouf.
Pre-Order Trumpets Of Michel-Ange II here: https://idol-io.ffm.to/
