Abdul Salam Maftoon is an Afghan singer from Badakhshan.

He is well known as a contestant on Afghan Star and his resemblance to Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada.

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Abdul Salam Maftoon lives with his wife and four children in a remote village in the mountains of Badakhshan.

He works as a construction worker and laborer.^[1]

In addition to his work as a laborer, Abdul Salam Maftoon sang at weddings, small concerts and birthday parties as a side job.

Maftoon decided to audition for Season 14 of Afghan Star in November 2019.

After seven years of musical lessons from his teacher Mir Maftoon, a celebrated folklore singer who is also from Badakhshan, and who has served as a judge in the competition.

Afghan Star is Afghanistan's version of American Idol.

The two Maftoons are no relation: Abdul Salam Maftoon, like many other musical students, has used his teacher’s surname as a stage name and a gesture of respect.

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One of the show's judges, Afghan-Canadian musician Qais Ulfat, told BBC News that he first noticed the resemblance when training up the 12 contestants who made it through to the finals.

"I noticed he looked a lot like my prime minister," he said.

"So I started giggling around with the host."

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The resemblance was pointed out on air, and Mr Maftoon quickly became a celebrity.

"Since then he's gone viral," Mr Ulfat said.

"Everyone's talking about him on social media."

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Maftoon's renditions of romantic folk songs in both Dari and Pashto- while dressed in clothing typical of his province - have impressed judges and audience alike.

"He is a very, very talented artist," Mr Ulfat said.

"I wish him the very best.

^[0]The finale will be held on March 21, 2018, on the eve of Nowruz (Persian new year).

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“The resemblance has boosted my chances of winning the competition by 50 per cent,” he told AFP news agency.

Maftoon has also said that his new fame will boost his singing gigs back home, regardless of the outcome of the competition.

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Maftoon hopes to meet Canada’s prime minister one day, "because he is a global personality and I am a poor man from a remote part of Afghanistan."

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