Cat Stevens

At 75 years old, Cat Stevens has this physical status:

Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou, 1948), also known as Cat Stevens on stage, and later Yusuf, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Folk, pop, rock, and, in his later career, Islamic music was his signature.

In 2014, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and his debut album "Matthew and Son" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, with "Matthew and Son" debuting at number two.

The RIAA has triple platinum status in the United States for Stevens' Tea for the Tillerman (1970) and Teaser and the Firecat (1971).

Catch Bull at Four, his 1972 album, spent three weeks on the Billboard 200 and fifteen weeks at number one in the Australian ARIA Charts.

In 2005 and 2006, he received two ASCAP songwriting awards for his song "The First Cut Is the Deepest," and the album has been a hit among four artists.

"Father and Son," "Wild World," "Moonshadow," "Peace Train," and "Morning Has Broken" are among his hit songs.

Stevens converted to Islam and adopted the term Yusuf Islam in 2005.

He auctioned all of his guitars for charity in 1979.

He has since bought back at least one of these guitars as a result of his son's efforts, and he's now dedicated his life to charitable and philanthropic causes in the Muslim community.

He was embroiled in a long-running controversy over remarks he made in 1989 regarding author Salman Rushdie's death fatwa.

From two organisations established by Mikhail Gorbachev, he has received two honorary doctorates and certificates for promoting peace. He returned to pop music in 2006, releasing his first new pop album in 28 years, titled Another Cup.

He dropped the surname "Islam" from the album cover art and replaced it with the stage name Yusuf as a mononym.

In 2009, he released the album Roadsinger, and in 2014, he released Tell 'Em Gone, his first US tour since 1978.

From 12 September to October 2016, his second North American tour since his revival, which featured 12 shows in intimate venues, attracted 30,000 visitors.

He released The Laughing Apple in 2017.

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Life and career

Steven Demetre Georgiou, born in the Marylebone neighborhood of London, was the youngest child of a Cypriot father, Stavros Georgiou (1900–1978), as well as Ingrid Wickman (1915–1989). Anita (b. ) is his older sister. David Gordon, 1937, and his brother, David Gordon. The family lived above the Moulin Rouge, a restaurant that his parents owned on Shaftesbury Avenue, just a short walk from Piccadilly Circus in London's Soho theater district. Both family members were employed in the restaurant. When he was eight years old, his parents divorced, but the family restaurant continued to be maintained and live above it. George Georgiou, Stevens' half-brother, was born in Greece, perhaps from his father's first marriage in Greece, where he served in the Macedonian Mule Corps.

Georgiou was sent to St Joseph Roman Catholic Primary School, Macklin Street, which was closer to his father's shop on Drury Lane, although his father was Greek Orthodox and his mother was a Baptist. Georgiou began to play piano at a young age, eventually using the family's grand piano to work out the chords, because no one else around did well enough to teach him. He became interested in the guitar at 15 years old, after being inspired by the Beatles' ubiquity. He begged his father to pay £8 (roughly £200 in 2021) for his first guitar, and he started playing it and writing songs. He occasionally escaped from his family's duties by escorting to the rooftop above their house and enjoying the music of the musicals drifting from around the corner and then the heart of the British music industry. Stevens said that the West Side Story particularly affected him and gave him a "different interpretation of life." After being inspired by his uncle Hugo Wickman, a painter, with passions in both art and music, he and his mother moved to Gävle, Sweden, where they studied primary school (Solängsskolan) and began improving their drawing skills. They then returned to England.

He attended other local West End schools, where he says he was always in danger and did poorly in anything other than art. "I was beat up, but I was aware," he said. He enrolled in a one-year course at Hammersmith School of Art in the hopes of pursuing a career as a cartoonist. Despite enjoying art (his later record albums featured his original artwork), he decided to pursue a career in music. When at Hammersmith, he began performing under the name "Steve Adams" in 1965. At that time, his dream was to become a songwriter. Lead Belly and Muddy Waters, as well as the Beatles and other musicians who inspired him, were among the Kinks, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, Biff Rose, and Paul Simon's debuts. He also attempted to imitate composers of musicals, including Ira Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. He signed a publishing contract with Ardmore & Beechwood in 1965 and appeared in various publications, including "The First Cut Is the Deepest."

Georgiou's music began appearing in London coffee houses and pubs. He attempted to form a band at first but discovered he liked performing solo. He thought his birth name might be difficult to remember, but mainly because "I couldn't imagine anyone going to the record store and asking for the 'I don't Georgiou album,' although a girlfriend said he had eyes like a cat." They loved animals in England, and I was positive in America."

He was discovered by producer/producer Mike Hurst, a former British vocal group the Springfields, in 1966, at the age of 18. Hurst arranged for him to record a demo and helped him get a record contract. Stevens' first singles were hits: "I Love My Dog" debuted at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart, and his debut album's "Matthew and Son" debuted at number two in the United Kingdom; "I Love My Dog" debuted on top of the charts, while "Matthew and Son" debuted at number 28; and "Matthew and Son," Stevens' debut album "Matthew and Son" debuted at number two in the United Kingdom debuted at number 28 on the country; "I'm Gonna Get a Gun" was his second top ten single, debuting at number 6, and Matthew and Son's album reached number 7 on the UK Albums Chart.

Stevens has recorded and toured with an eclectic group of artists ranging from Jimi Hendrix to Engelbert Humperdinck over the next two years. He was dubbed a new-faced teen star, with several single debuts in the British pop music charts. Some of the success was due to the pirate radio station Wonderful Radio London, which attracted him followers by playing his music. He was one of many recording artists to broadcast messages during the station's final hour to mourn its demise in August 1967.

In the United Kingdom, his December 1967 album New Masters failed to chart. The album is now best known for his song "The First Cut Is the Deepest," which was a hit for Keith Hampshire, Rod Stewart, James Morrison, and Sheryl Crow. It came back-to-back ASCAP "Songwriter of the Year" awards in 2005 and 2006.

Stevens contracted tuberculosis in 1969 and was just close to death at the time of his admission to the King Edward VII Hospital in Midhurst, Sussex. He spent months recovering in the hospital and a year of convalescence. Stevens began to question certain aspects of his life and spirituality during this period. "If you come from the show business environment and find you are in hospital, getting injections day in and day out, and people around you are dying, it certainly changes your perspective." I started worrying about myself. It seemed almost as if I had my eyes closed."

He started meditation, yoga, and metaphysics; learned about other faiths; and became a vegetarian. He wrote as many as 40 songs as a result of his serious illness and long convalescence, as part of his spiritual awakening and questioning, many of which would be available on his albums in years to come.

Stevens' second album's lack of success exemplified a combination of musical tastes and a growing resistance toward producer Mike Hurst's attempts to re-create another album as well as the folk rock sound Stevens was trying to produce. He admits to purposefully sabotaged his own deal with Hurst, making outlandish orchestral demands and threatening court action, which culminated in his desire: his release from his Deram Records, a Decca Records sub-label.

Stevens released some of his newly written songs on his tape recorder and performed his changing sound for a handful of new record executives after recovering his health at home. Blackwell's agent Barry Krost, who had arranged for an interview with Island Records' Chris Blackwell, "had the opportunity to record [his songs] whenever and with whomever he liked and, in particular, whatever he liked," said the singer. Stevens signed with Paul Samwell-Smith, the Yardbirds' bassist, as his new producer, following Krost's lead.

Stevens was paired with guitarist Alun Davies, who was at that time playing as a session musician, by Samwell-Smith. Davies was the more experienced of two albums, which had just started to investigate the nexient genres of skiffle and folk rock music. Davies was also considered a natural match with Stevens in particular for his "fingerwork" on the guitar, harmonising, and backing vocals. They met just to mark Mona Bone Jakon, but soon became a family. Davies, like Stevens, was an engineer who made sure that all the speakers and sound system were set for each performance.

"Lady D'Arbanville," Mona Bone Jakon's first single, was "Lady D'Arbanville," Stevens wrote about his teenage American girlfriend Patti D'Arbanville. With sounds of djembes and bass in addition to Stevens' and Davies' guitars, the album, which has a madrigal sound unheardened by most pop radio broadcast, debuted at number eight in the United Kingdom. It was the first time any of his hits made it to television in the United States. In 1971, it was awarded a gold record. "Maybe You're Right" and "Just Another Night" were two other songs written for D'Arbanville. In addition, the song "Pop Star," about his time as a teenager star, and "Katmandu," which featured Genesis frontman Peter Gabriel on flutes, were included. Mona Bone Jakon was the first example of the solo singer-songwriter album style that was becoming increasingly popular among other musicians. According to Rolling Stone magazine, its success was compared to that of Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection, saying it was played "across the board, across radio formats."

Mona Bone Jakon was the precursor to Stevens' international breakthrough album, Tea for the Tillerman, which debuted at number one on Billboard. Within six months of its debut, it had sold over 500,000 copies, earning gold record status in the United Kingdom and the United States. Stevens' new folk rock style and accessible lyrics, which addressed everyday life and challenges, as well as the onset of spiritual reflections, remained in his music from then on. The album features the Top 20 single "Wild World"; a parting song since D'Arbanville's move forward. "Wild World" has been praised as the song that gave Tea for the Tillerman enough kick to be on FM radio; Island Records' Chris Blackwell was quoted as saying it was "the best album we've ever released." Other album tracks include "Hard-Headed Woman" and "Father and Son," a song performed in baritone and tenor about fathers and their sons' struggle with their own personal choices in life. This album was named by the RIAA as a Multi-Platinum record in 2001, with 3 million copies in the United States at that time. It is ranked at No. 1 in the United States. In the 2003 list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time," 206 appeared.

Stevens reflected on the effect of his friendship with D'Arbanville, saying, "Everything I wrote while away was in a transitional period and reflects that." Like Patti. We divorced a year ago, and I had been with her for two years. Patti and my family's life... when I sing the songs now, I hear strange things. "I find the meanings of my songs late."

Stevens enjoyed a string of success over the years after establishing a signature sound. The Teaser and the Firecat album of 1971 debuted at number two and hit gold record status within three weeks of its introduction in the United States. Several hits, including "Peace Train," "Morning Has Broken," and "Moonshadow," were among them." This album was also listed as a Multi-Platinum record by the RIAA in 2001, with over 3 million copies in the United States by that time. Stevens spoke about Teaser and the Firecat while being interviewed on a Boston radio station:

Stevens was romantically linked to popular singer Carly Simon from 1971 to 1972, but both were made by Samwell-Smith. Both wrote songs for and about one another during that period. Simon wrote and recorded at least two Top 50 songs, "Legend in Your Own Time" and "Anticipation" about Stevens. After their romance, he reflected in his song to her, "Sweet Scarlet."

Catch Bull at Four, his fourth album, was released in 1972, was his most commercially successful album in the United States, selling gold in 15 days and retaining the top position for three weeks on the Billboard 200 and fifteen weeks at number one on the Australian ARIA Charts.

Stevens recorded "But I Could Die Tonight" in July 1970 for the Jerzy Skolimowski film Deep End. He performed two songs on Harold and Maude in 1971, but was furious when director Hal Ashby decided to use the original demos rather than encouraging Stevens to finish them. Seven other Stevens songs were used in the film, but no soundtrack album was released until 2007.

Stevens hasn't stopped allowing his songs to be used in films after his religious conversion in the 1970s. However, Rushmore was granted permission to use his songs "Here Comes My Baby" and "The Wind" in 1997, showing a fresh interest in releasing his music from his days as a Western "pop star" actor. This was followed in 2000 by the appearance of "Peace Train" in the film Remember the Titans, and it was followed in 2006 by the inclusion of "Peace Train" on the soundtrack to We Are Marshall.

Subsequent launches in the 1970s also did well on the charts and in continuing sales, but they did not have the same success as he had from 1970 to 1973. Stevens was a tax exile from the United Kingdom in 1973, but he later donated the funds to UNESCO. He made the album Foreigner, which was a departure from the music that had brought him to his peak of fame. It differed in several ways: Stevens' entire book was written by Stevens, but Samwell-Smith produced the album without his band's help (who had a large hand in bringing him to fame) with the exception of a guitar on the title track and "100 I Dream" — both were performed.

Cat Stevens was given a plaque in Australia recognizing the selling of forty Gold records, the most significant number ever given to an artist in Australia.

His Izitso album updated his pop rock and folk rock style in April 1977, giving it a more synthpop feel. In particular, "Was Dog a Doughnut" was an early techno-pop fusion song and a precursor to the 1980s electro music genre, making the first use of a music sequencer. "Remember the Days of the) Old Schoolyard," an early synthpop song that used a polyphonic synthesizer, was included on Izitso's final chart hit; it was a duet with fellow UK singer Elkie Brooks.

Cat Stevens' last original album under the name of Cat Stevens was Back to Earth, which was also the first album released by Samwell-Smith since his peak in single album sales in the early 1970s. Several compilation albums were released before and after he stopped recording. Stevens and Decca Records bundled his first two albums as a set, hoping to ride the commercial tide of his youth's popularity; later his younger labels followed the same fate, and he himself published compilations. The 1975 Greatest Hits compilation album, which has sold over 4 million copies in the United States, was the most popular of the compilation albums. He received his first Platinum Europe Award from the IFPI in May 2003 for Remember Cat Stevens, The Ultimate Collection, indicating that over a million European sales had been achieved.

Stevens said, "I thought, music for God?

Stevens almost drowned off the coast of Malibu, California, in 1976, and said he yelled, "Oh, God!" "I will work for you if you save me." A wave appeared and carried him back to shore right away, and he said it immediately afterwards. His long-awaited quest for spiritual truth was reignited by this brush with death. He had investigated "Buddhism, Zen, I Ching, numerology, tarot cards, and astrology." David Gordon, a convert to Judaism, gave Stevens' brother a copy of the Qur'an as a birthday gift from a trip to Jerusalem.

"I would never have picked up the Qur'an myself as a free spirit," Stevens said on BBC's Desert Island Discs: "I would have more aligned to my father's Greek Orthodox faiths." His brother's timely gift was quickly accepted and he was taken with its joy, easing his transition and conversion to Islam, which would forever change his personal and professional life.

Stevens began to identify more with Joseph's life, a man who bought and sold in the market place, which is how he became involved in the music industry. "To some people, it may have seemed as an incredible leap," he said in his 2006 interview with Alan Yentob, "but for me, it was a gradual change to this." In a Rolling Stone magazine interview, he reiterated that, "I had found the spiritual home I'd been looking for for the majority of my life." And if you listen to my music and lyrics, like "Peace Train" and "On The Road To Find Out," it clearly shows my yearning for direction and the spiritual path I was traveling."

Stevens officially converted to the Muslim faith on December 23, 1977, adopting the name Yusuf Islam in 1978. Yusuf is the Arabic version of Joseph; he said he "always loved the name Joseph" and was attracted to the tale of Joseph in the Qur'an. Despite having ceased his pop career, he was reluctant to appear one last time before his 25-year musical hiatus. He headlined a charity concert on Sunday, wearing his hair neatly shorn and an untrimmed beard. UNICEF's International Year of the Child is the child's birthday. With his appearance, David Essex, Alun Davies, and Islam's brother, David Gordon, who wrote the final song "Child for a Day," the concert came to an end.

Islam married Fauzia Mubarak Ali on September 7th, 1979, at Regent's Park Mosque in London, after a brief relationship with Louise Wightman. They have one son, four daughters, and nine grandchildren; a second son died in infancy. They have a home in London but they are now residing in Dubai for a significant portion of each year.

Cat Stevens (now named Yusuf Islam) had a devoted musical career for almost two decades after his conversion to Islam. The Imam at his mosque told him that it was fine to continue as a musician as long as the songs were morally acceptable, but others said "it was all banned," and he refused to perform. "All the reasons, actually," he said, and that the continuing demands of the music industry had been "becoming a chore, not an inspiration anymore." He released an album of "jihadi" nasheed in 1987, the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was written and sold by "Mirror of the Afghan Jihad," a Maktab al-Khidamat division.

In a 2004 interview with Larry King Live, he said, "A lot of people would have loved me to keep singing." You've arrived at a point where you've sung, or less... your entire repertoire, and you want to return to the basics of living. Well, I didn't have a life up until that point. "I'd been looking, been on the road."

He said in January 2007 that he was still earning $1.5 million a year from his Cat Stevens music, and that he would use his amassed fortune and continuing earnings from his performing career to support philanthropic and educational causes in London and elsewhere. He founded the Islamia Primary School in Brondesbury Park in 1983 and, shortly after, established many Muslim secondary schools in the north London area of Queen's Park; shortly after, he founded The Association of Muslim Schools (AMS-UK), a charity that brought together all the Muslim schools in the UK; He is also the founder and chairman of the Small Kindness charity, which first helped famine victims in Africa and now assists thousands of orphans and families in the Balkans, Indonesia, and Iraq. From 1985 to 1993, he was chairman of the charity Muslim Aid.

Following an address by Islam to students at Kingston Polytechnic University (now Kingston University), where he was concerned about the deabolition of Salman Rushdie, author of the book The Satanic Verses, the fatwa made a series of remarks that seemed to support for the fatwa. "He (Rushdie) must be killed," he said. The Qur'an makes it clear: if someone defames the prophet, he will die" if they do. He issued a tweet the following day denouncing vigilantism and claiming that he had only recounted the Islamic Sharia law sanctions for blasphemy. Rushdie should be killed, according to him in a 1989 interview on Australian television, he'd rather burn Rushdie than an effigy. Islam said in a post on one of his websites' FAQ section that he regretted the remarks, but he was joking and that the show had been incorrectly edited. He has consistently denied calling for the death of Rushdie or supporting the fatwa, a position that has been contradicted by his recent public statements in 1989. Yusuf, a writer on BBC's Desert Island Discs on September 27, 2020, had clever "sharp-toothed" journalists frame his fatwa comment in a deceptive way. Rushdie referred to what he felt was Islam's attempts to "rewrite his history" in a 2007 letter to The Daily Telegraph's editor, calling his allegations of innocence "rubbish."

He said immediately after the September 11 attacks in the United States, he said: "It's the same thing."

For the first time in public in more than 20 years, he appeared on videotape on a VH1 pre-show for the October 2001 Concert for New York City, condemning the attacks and singing his song "Peace Train" as an a cappella version. In addition, he contributed a portion of his box-set royalties to the fund for victims' families and the remainder to orphanages in poor countries. During the same year, he invested time and effort in joining the Forum Against Islamophobia and Racism, an organization that promoted counter-declarations and violence against others due in part to the rioting sparked by the events in the United States on September 11 to 11.

Islam was on a United Airlines flight from London to Washington on September 21, 2004, heading to a meeting with Dolly Parton, who had performed "Peace Train" several years before and announced another Cat Stevens song on their forthcoming album. While the plane was in flight, his name was revealed as being on the No Fly List. Officers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) alerted the United States Transportation Security Administration, which in turn diverted his flight to Bangor, Maine, where he was intercepted by Homeland Security officers.

He was refused admission and flown back to the United Kingdom on the following day. There were "concerns of ties that might have to potential terrorist-related activities," a Homeland Security spokesperson said. In 2000, the Israeli government had deported Islam because it was found that he had donated funds to the Palestinian organisation Hamas, but he denied doing so intentionally. "I have never specifically supported or donated money to Hamas," Islam said. "I was told to have done it at the time, but I didn't know there was such a club." Some people give a political interpretation to charity. We were shocked at how people were suffering in the Holy Land.

However, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) added him to a "watch list" that sparked international scandal and led to British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's personal complaint to US Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations General Assembly. Powell replied by saying that the watchlist was under scrutiny, and that "I believe we have the right to investigate these issues to see if we are correct."

Islam believed his inclusion on a "watch list" was mistaken: a mistaking of him for a man with the same name but with a different spelling. "I am still bewildered by the US authorities' decision not to allow me to enter the country," he requested on October 1st. According to his account, the man on the list was named "Youssef Islam," indicating that Islam was not the intended terrorist sponsor. The transliteration of Arabic names can lead to a dozen spellings.

Islam was accepted without incident into the United States for several radio concert appearances and interviews to promote his new album two years ago. "No reason was ever given," he said at the time, but being asked to repeat the spelling of my name over and again made me believe it was a simple mistake of identity." After made me believe otherwise, rumors that circulated after led me to believe otherwise."

Islam produced "Boots and Sand," a song about his expulsion from the United States in 2004 that featured Paul McCartney, Dolly Parton, and Terry Sylvester.

The Sun and The Sunday Times newspapers expressed their support for Yusuf's removal from the US and said he sympathized terrorism. He sued for libel and received an out-of-court financial settlement from the newspapers, including that he had never advocated terrorism and announced that the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates had recently awarded a Man of Peace award. However, managing editor Richard Caseby said that although there was "agreed settlement" and "strongly disagreed with Cat Stevens' legal interpretation," the two parties nevertheless disagreed with him, but took a "pragmatic view" of the litigation.

Yusuf replied that he was "delighted" by the deal [which] helps to reveal my character and good name. ... It seems that making scurrilous allegations against Muslims is the easiest thing in the world these days, and in my case, it directly impacts my relief work and damage my reputation as an artist. The harm he caused is often impossible to recover, and he said he planned to share the money given to him by the court to help orphanage survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. In a newspaper article entitled "A Cat in a Wild World," he related to his experience.

Following the publication of a report claiming that Islam refused to speak to unveiled women, the World Entertainment News Network delivered a significant undisclosed apology on August 18, 2008. The allegations first surfaced in the German newspaper BZ after Islam's trip to Berlin in March 2007 for "life as a performer and ambassador between cultures." He was still owed damages after the World Entertainment News Network allowed an article to be published on Contactmusic.com claiming that he did not know to unveiled women with the exception of his wife. "He was made out to be'so sexist and bigoted" that he refused to speak to or even acknowledge any woman who were not wearing a veil," his solicitor said. Islam has never had a problem with women in the workplace, and he had never expected a third party to act as an intermediary at work, according to the news service. This litigation was donated to his Small Kindness Chariton.

He addressed the fake accusation on his website, saying, "he denied it."

In the 1990s, Islam resurgented his musical career. His first recordings did not include any musical instruments other than percussion, and they had lyrics about Islamic subjects, some in spoken word or hamd form. He invested in recording his own recording studio, Mountain of Light Studios, in the late 1990s, and appeared as a guest singer on Raihan's album of nasheeds. In addition, Dawud Wharnsby, a Canadian artist, invited and collaborated with other Muslim artists, including Canadian artist Dawud Wharnsby. Irfan Ljubijanki, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Minister, was killed by a Serbian rocket strike, and Islam's friend, Irfan Ljubijanki, performed a benefit album in Sarajevo named after a song written by Ljubijanki, I Have No Cannons That Roar.

Realizing that there were no educational programs available to educate children about the Islamic faith, Islam wrote and released A Is for Allah, a children's album released in 2000 with the help of South African singer-songwriter Zain Bhikha. The title song was written years before Islam would introduce his first child to both the faith and the Arabic alphabet. He also founded his own record label, "Jamal Records," and Mountain of Light Productions, and he contributes a part of his charity's funds to his Small Kindness charity, whose name is derived from Qur'an.

Islam was invited by his label rep Sujata to talk to the public about his experience and reunite with his followers on the occasion of his Cat Stevens albums' re-release in 2000. Islam explained that he had stopped attending in English due to his misreading of the Islamic faith. "This issue of music in Islam isn't as cut-and-dried as I was led to believe." I was relying on heresy, which was perhaps my mistake." He appeared in the first documentary about his life for a two-part VH1 Behind the Music.

Islam has confirmed that his decision to leave the Western pop music market was perhaps too fast and that there was no contact for his followers. For the most part, it was a surprise, and even his long-time guitarist Alun Davies said in later interviews that he hadn't expected that his friend would go through with it after his several forays into other faiths during their friendship. Islam's "cut" during his childhood and his life as a Muslim may have been too quick and ardent, and more people may have been better informed of Islam, and possibly himself, allowing him to freely express himself and educate listeners through his music without breaching any religious boundaries, according to Islam himself.

Islam also released "Peace Train" for a compilation CD in 2003, which also featured performances by David Bowie and Paul McCartney. He appeared in Nelson Mandela's 46664 concert with his older brother, Peter Gabriel, for the first time he had publicly performed in English in 25 years. In December 2004, he and Ronan Keating unveiled a new "Father and Son" album: the song debuted at number two in Band Aid 20, after "Do They Know It's Christmas?" When singing the song, they also made a video of the pair walking between photographs of fathers and sons. The proceeds of "Father and Son" were donated to the Band Aid charity. Boyzone, Keating's old band, had a hit with the song a decade ago. Islam contributed to the performance as he had been conditioned for charity.

He said:

Islam discovered that there are no official guidelines or no references regarding music in the Qur'an, and that Muslim travellers brought the guitar to Moorish Spain first. Muhammad, as in the case of the birth of a child or the arrival of a visitor arriving after a long journey, he expressed delight in celebrating. Islam believed that healthy entertainment was appropriate within certain boundaries, and that it was no longer forbidden to perform with the guitar. Music, he now found, is uplifting to the soul; something that is sorely missing in these times. At that time, he was joined by several young male singers who sang backing vocals and played a drum, with Islam as lead singer and guitarist. They performed two songs, both in Arabic and English; "Tala'a Al-Balayna," an ancient Arabic song that Islam recorded with a folk sound to it; and "The Wind East and West," which was also written by Islam and featured a distinct R&B melody.

Islam started to incorporate instruments from his Cat Stevens period (some with slight lyrical changes) and new songs, some of whom are well-known to the Muslim communities around the world and some that have the same Western flair as before, with a focus on new topics and another generation of listeners.

In a 2005 press release, he discussed his resurgent recording career: he wrote about it in a press release:

Islam released "Indian Ocean," a new song about the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami tragedy in early 2005. A. R. Rahman, an a-ha keyboard player, and Travis drummer Neil Primrose were among the songs on display. Through Islam's Small Kindness charity, the proceeds of the single went to assist orphans in Banda Aceh, one of the worst affected by the tsunami. The single was only available online music stores at first, but it was later released on the compilation album Cat Stevens: Gold. "I had to investigate my faith and look after my family, so I had to make priorities." But now I've done it all, and there's just a little bit left for me to immerse in the universe of music."

Islam made a keynote address and appeared at the Adopt-A-Minefield Gala in Düsseldorf on May 28, 2005. The Adopt-A-Minefield charity, run by Paul McCartney, raises money to clear landmines and rehabilitate landmine survivors. Islam was present at the conference, which also included George Martin, Richard Branson, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Klaus Voormann, Christopher Lee, and others.

Islam appeared on Dolly Parton's "Where Do the Children Play" album in mid-2005. (Parton had also covered "Peace Train" a few years ago.)

When his son brought a guitar back to the house, Islam praised him for his return to secular music. Muhammad's professional name is Yoriyos, and his debut album, Yoriyos, was released in February 2007. Cat Stevens did not create the artwork on Islam's album An Other Cup, which was something he did for his own albums in the 1970s.

Yusuf: The Artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, a BBC1 documentary released in May 2006 in anticipation of his forthcoming new pop album. Rare audio and video clips from the late 1960s and 1970s, as well as an extensive interview with Islam, his brother David Gordon, several major corporations, Bob Geldof, Dolly Parton, and others outlining his career as Cat Stevens, his conversion and resurrecting as Yusuf Islam in 2006. There are clips of him performing in the studio when he was recording An Other Cup, as well as a few clips from his 2006 appearances of him on guitar, including "The Wind" and "On the Road to Find Out."

Islam was one of the prize winners of the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway, in honor of the prize winners, Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank. "Midday (Avoid City After Dark), "Peace Train," and "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" were among his hits. That month, he also performed at a Jazz at Lincoln Center concert, which was recorded and broadcast by KCRW-FM radio, as well as an interview by Nic Harcourt. Alun Davies, a Cat Stevens guy, was a member of the Cat Stevens family, on guitar and vocals.

Islam's first all-new pop album since 1978 was released in March 2006. The album, An Other Cup, was released worldwide in November 2006 on his own label, Ya Records (distributed by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom) and internationally by Atlantic Records, on the 40th anniversary of Matthew and Son's first album, An Other Cup. "Heaven/Where True Love Goes" (an accompanying single) was also released. Rick Nowels, who has worked with Dido and Rod Stewart, was involved in the album's development. The performer is referred to as "Yusuf" on a back label, identifying him as "the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens." The work on the album is credited to Yoriyos. Except for "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood," Islam produced it in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Islam has heavily promoted the album, appearing on radio, television, and in print interviews. "It's me, so it's going to sound like that of course," he told the BBC in November 2006. This is the authentic thing... You might recall, that was the turning point for my son's return to the house. It sparked a flood of new concepts and music that I believe a lot of people would identify with." He started returning only to his acoustic guitar as he had in the past, but his son encouraged him to "experiment," resulting in the purchase of a Stevie Ray Vaughan Fender Stratocaster in 2007.

Billboard magazine was curious again in November 2006, asking if the artist is credited with just his first name, "Yusuf" rather than "Yusuf Islam." He said, "Because 'Islam' doesn't have to be buffed" to be promoted. The second name is similar to the official tag, but you call a friend by their first name. It's more personal, and to me, it's the message of this record." As for why the album was sleeve, he replied, "the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens"; "for recognition purposes, I'm not opposed to it." For a lot of people, it reminds them of what they should do. The name is a part of my past, and a lot of the things I dreamt about have come true as Yusuf Islam.

When asked by the Swiss periodical Das Magazin why the album's name was "Another Cup" rather than "Another Cup." The answer was that his breakthrough album, Tea for the Tillerman, was inspired by Islam's depiction of a peasant sitting down to a cup of steaming beverage on the land. "Then and now are very different," he said. On this page, his latest album features a steaming cup alone. His answer was that this was really an other cup; something else; a bridge between the East and West that he described as his own personal responsibility. "Westerners may get a glimpse of the East, and Easterners, may have a glimpse of the West," he said. The cup is also important; it is a meeting place, not a thing meant to be shared."

"You know, the cup is there to be filled... with whatever you want to fill it with," he said on CBS Sunday Morning in December 2006. This is likely to be Cat Stevens' first appearance in this series. You'll find him [Yusuf] Islam if you look a little deeper. He has since referred to An Other Cup as a crucial barrier for him to overcome before he could announce his new album, Roadsinger.

In April 2007, BBC1 broadcast a concert by Islam at the Porchester Hall by Islam as part of BBC Sessions, his first live appearance in London in 28 years (the previous one being the UNICEF "Year of the Child" concert in 1979). "Where Do the Children Play" was one of his recent hits, as well as some old favorites such as "Father and Son" and "The Wind." "Don't Be Shy," "Wild World," and "Peace Train" are among "Peace Train" that have been featured on "Don't Be Shy."

He appeared at a concert in Bochum, Germany, in aid of Archbishop Desmond Tutu's Peace Centre in South Africa and the Milagro Foundation of Deborah and Carlos Santana. Nobel Laureates Mikhail Gorbachev, Desmond Tutu, and other international celebrities were among the audience members. He appeared as the final act in Live Earth in Hamburg on Saturday, performing some classic Cat Stevens songs and other new works expressing his concern for peace and child safety. "Where Do the Children Play?" Stevie Wonder's "Saturn" and "Peace Train." "Ruins" and "Wild World" are among the "true tales" on "Wild World." On September 21, 2007, he appeared at the Royal Albert Hall for the Peace One Day concert. In 2008, Islam contributed the song "Edge of Existence" to the charity album Songs for Survival of the indigenous rights group Survival International.

Yusuf released a single in Gaza in January 2009 in aid of children in Gaza, a tribute to George Harrison's "The Day the World Gets Round" which was performed by the German bassist Klaus Voormann, who had previously collaborated with The Beatles. Voormann redesigned his famous Beatles Revolver album cover, including a snapshot of a teenage Cat Stevens and Harrison as well as himself and Harrison. The single's proceeds were donated to charities and organizations, including UNESCO, UNRWA, and the non-profit group Save the Children, with the funds allocated to Gaza children. Consul David Saranga of Israel chastised Yusuf for not dedicating the song to all of the children who are victims of the war, including Israeli children.

Yusuf released Roadsinger, a new pop album that was first released in 2008. On a BBC show on Sunday, the lead track, "Thinking 'Bout You," made its debut radio play on a BBC programme. Unlike An Other Cup, he promoted the new album on American television as well as in the United Kingdom. In April 2009, he appeared on "World O'Darkness," "Boots and Sand," and "Roadsinger." On May 13, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in Los Angeles, and on The Colbert Report in New York City, performing the title song from the Roadsinger album. He appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on "Boots and Sand" and "Father and Son" on May 15th. On May 24, he appeared on BBC's The Andrew Marr Show, where he was interviewed and performed Roadsinger's title track. He was one of many guests at Fairport Convention's annual Fairport Convention's annual Fairport Convention's annual Fairport Convention, where he appeared five songs accompanied by Alun Davies with Fairport Convention as his backing band on August 15th.

To promote the new album, a world tour was announced on his website. On May 3, 2009, he was supposed to appear at an invitation-only concert at the Highline Ballroom in New York City, as well as other European venues that have yet to be announced. However, the New York appearance was postponed due to problems surrounding his work visa. He appeared at the 50th anniversary of Island Records' 50th anniversary concert in London in May 2009. Yusuf performed his "Guess I'll Take My Time Tour" in November and December 2009, which also featured his musical performance Moonshadow. The tour took him to Dublin, where he had a mixed reception, then he was well-received in Birmingham and Liverpool, culminating in a touching appearance at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He toured Australia for the first time in 36 years in June 2010 and New Zealand for the first time ever.

Yusuf performed with Ozzy Osbourne on Thursday, October 30, 2010 in Washington, DC, on behalf of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert's spoof Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Yusuf performed "Peace Train" and Ozzy performed "Crazy Train" at the same time, followed by The O'Jays performance of "Love Train."

Yusuf's latest album, "My People," was released as a free download on his official website as well as several other online stores on March 2nd. The song is said to have been recorded at a studio within a hundred yards of the Berlin Wall's location. The Arab Spring is the product of a string of Arab revolutions in the Arab world.

On April 1, 2011, he launched yusufinconcert.com, to celebrate his first European tour in over 36 years, which ran from 7 May to May 2011. The ten-date tour included stops in Germany, France, the Netherlands, Austria, Belgium, Belgium, and Belgium, including Stockholm, Hamburg, Oberhausen, Munich, Rotterdam, Mannheim, and Brussels.

Moonshadow, a new musical starring music from throughout his career, performed at the Princess Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, in May 2012. The show received mixed feedback and closed four weeks early.

Yusuf was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2013 for his work under the name of Cat Stevens (this was his second nomination, the first being an unsuccessful nomination in 2005). Art Garfunkel invited him and inducted him into the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, in April 2014, where he appeared on "Father and Son," "Wild World," and "Peace Train." In an episode of the National Geographic Channel television show Ultimate Airport Dubai (season 2, episode 6), the first time he traveled from Dubai to New York was caught. In this episode, he discusses his difficulties in obtaining the United States.

Yusuf announced the forthcoming release of his latest studio album, Tell 'Em Gone, on October 27th, 2014, as well as two short tours, the former being his first one since 1976. He appeared at the Tower Theater in Philadelphia on December 4, 2014, his first public US audience since the 1970s.

Yusuf appeared on two shows in early 2015: Quinta Vergara, Via del Mar, Chile, and Cardiff Bay, Wales, on February 27th.

Yusuf's latest album, "He Was Alone" and its related video, was released on June 1st. #YouAreNotAlone, the singer's latest fundraising effort for child refugees in southern Turkey, was inspired by a trip to southern Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees. On June 14, 2016, he performed the song live at the Westminster Central Hall in London, his first show in more than a year.

Yusuf revealed on July 26th, 2016 in Central Park, New York, New York, New York, New York.

Yusuf revealed "A Cat's Attic Tour," his second North American tour since 1978, on September 12, 2016, and ending at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles on October 7, 2016. The string of dates corresponds to I Love My Dog's 50th birthday, and he's "limited run of stripped down, introspective performances" will be featured on the album. Three shows were presented in New York City (two shows at the Beacon Theatre and one in Central Park at the Global Citizen Festival), his first shows in New York City since 1976. In an attempt to help children affected by the recent Syrian refugee crisis, he's donating a portion of the proceeds from each ticket sale to his charity Small Kindness, UNICEF, and the International Rescue Committee in honor of his humanitarianism. The tour continued in the United Kingdom, with shows in Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, and London. The London show took place at the Shaftesbury Theatre, just a block away from where he grew up.

On September 15, he released The Laughing Apple, his fifteenth studio album. The album is dedicated to "Yusuf / Cat Stevens," and it is his first appearance under the Cat Stevens brand since "Back to Earth" in 1978. He was nominated for his first Grammy Award for Best Folk Album on the album. Yusuf signed with BMG Rights Management in July 2018, which will release his songwriting credits around the world and sell nine of his studio albums. Yusuf performed in Christchurch, New Zealand, on March 29th at the National Remembrance Service for victims of the Christchurch mosque shootings.

Yusuf performed the Music for the Marsden benefit concert at London's O2 Arena on March 3, 2020. Yusuf unveiled his second album, Tea for the Tillerman 2, on May 28, 2020, the first LP's 50th anniversary. Tea for the Tillerman 2 is a re-imagining and re-recording of the songs from the previous album, with updated interpretations and arrangements. Yusuf appeared on the BBC's Desert Island Discs on September 25, 2020. Yusuf is one of a small number of guests to choose their own music as a desert island favorite, but the Stevie Wonder Motown hit 'As' for his first choice in front of his own film, if only one could be saved.

In 2021 Yusuf / Cat Stevens produced a new version of "Peace Train" starring over 25 musicians from 12 countries, teaming up with Playing for Change.

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