Omar was born in 1986 in Botkyrka, Stockholm. At age 12, he moved to a foster home in Gotland. When his mother visited him the first time since moving in, she gave him a synthesizer, which influenced his decision to focus on music. He was arrested at age 18, and went to jail. When he was 21, he ended up in jail once again and thereafter was also informed that his girlfriend was pregnant with their child. He then decided to focus on his family and resume his musical career. In the spring of 2015, he released his debut single "Lion". In 2017, he began competing in Melodifestivalen 2017, the Swedish national selection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song "Hold On". He has progressed directly to the final from the first-semi-final.