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Saint Levant

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Saint Levant
Birth nameMarwan Abdelhamid
Born (2000-10-06) October 6, 2000 (age 24)
Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine
OriginAmman, Jordan
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • saxophone
Years active2020–present
Labels
Websitesaintlevant.com

Marwan Abdelhamid (Arabic: مروان عبد الحميد; born October 6, 2000),[1] known as Saint Levant (French: [sɛ̃ ləvɑ̃]; Arabic: سانت ليفانت), is a Palestinian singer-songwriter and rapper.[2] A multilingual artist, he is best known for his song "Very Few Friends".

Early life and education

Abdelhamid was born on October 6, 2000 in Jerusalem to a half-Algerian, half-French mother and a half-Palestinian, half-Serbian father, Rashid, during the Second Intifada. His father is an architect, hotel entrepreneur, DJ and film producer; his mother worked with the United Nations. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to the Gaza Strip, where his parents built a 22-room beachfront hotel in Rimal, named "Al Deira" and based on an architectural project by his father. Abdelhamid spent his childhood primarily there, attending the American International School, until the 2007 Battle of Gaza, after which his family relocated to Amman, Jordan.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] He described the time spent in Gaza as "the best years of [his] life".[8] Growing up, Abdelhamid communicated in French at home, English at school, and Arabic at the Palestinian refugee camp of Al-Wehdat, where he played football with the local team after school.[3][6]

In 2018, aged 17,[1] Abdelhamid moved to the United States to pursue a bachelor's degree in International Relations at the University of California, Santa Barbara, from which he graduated in 2022.[3][9]

Career and activism

Before taking on the name Saint Levant (a pun on "Yves Saint Laurent" and "Levant"),[1][10] Abdelhamid wrote "Jerusalem Freestyles" and "Nirvana in Gaza", both of which discussed political issues. Around the same time, Abdelhamid began posting videos on TikTok in which he discussed Palestinian history, as well as commentary on toxic masculinity in Arab culture. Shortly after, he co-founded GrowHome, which connects Palestinian entrepreneurs with individuals who can help fund their projects.[7][11] In early 2022, alongside Stephanie Moukhaiber, he started the 2048 Fellowship – a project providing financial support and mentorship for Palestinian creatives.[7]

In November 2022, Saint Levant released his trilingual rap track "Very Few Friends", which was streamed approximately 2 million YouTube views in one month.[2] The song soon became popular on TikTok and Instagram.[9]

In May 2023, Saint Levant was chosen as Dior's first fragrance ambassador in the Middle East.[12] The same year, he released the EP From Gaza, with Love. He was named among the 2023 "Men of the Year" by GQ Middle East.[7] In 2024, he signed with Universal Arabic Music (UAM) and released, together with MC Abdul, "Deira", a song in the chaabi musical style of Algiers dedicated to his father's hotel in Gaza, which went destroyed in an Israeli bombing in 2023 during Israel's war on Gaza; the song featured as the title track on his debut album Deira.[4][5] Saint Levant performed at Coachella 2024,[13] using his performance to bring awareness to the ongoing war taking place in Gaza.[14]

Saint Levant is outspoken on the struggle in Palestine, telling Harper's Bazaar:[1]

"Everything that I do is Israeli-focused and based on the Palestinian cause and struggle, doing a lot of contextualizing [...] because I came to America, man, and I realized that a lot of people thought that [...] it's a conflict between these two equal[s who] just hate each other for some reason, [that] Palestinians just hate Israelis. And what people don't understand is that it's 80 years of occupation and oppression and displacement and ethnic cleansing so I think it's very important to just push that forward always and I try to do it through the music; I try to do it through my actions, and everything that I do."

He identifies as a feminist.[6]

Personal life

Abdelhamid lives in Los Angeles, though he regularly returns to Amman.[2]

Discography

EPs and albums

  • From Gaza, with Love (2023) – EP
  • Deira (2024) – album

Singles

  • "Jerusalem Freestyle" (2020)
  • "Nirvana in Gaza" (2020)
  • "7ajir" (2021)
  • "Tourist" (2021)
  • "Haifa in a Tesla" (2021)
  • "Desert Rose" (feat. Bayou; 2021)
  • "Sahrawi" (2021)
  • "1001 Nights" (2021)
  • "Jon Carlow Freestyle" (feat. Jon Carlow; 2022)
  • "Nasser" (2022)
  • "Caged Birds Sing" (2022)
  • "Mandela" (2022)
  • "Tête à Tête / Eye to Eye " (2022)
  • "By the Sea" (2022)
  • "One More Time / Baby" (2022)
  • "Mistakes" (2022)
  • "Here and There" (feat. Bayou; 2022)
  • "Very Few Friends" (2022)
  • "I Guess" (2022)
  • "FaceTime" (2023)
  • "Nails" (2023)
  • "Deira" (feat. MC Abdul; 2024)
  • "5am in Paris" (2024)
  • "Galbi" (2024)
  • "DALOONA" (feat. 47Soul, Shadi Alborini and Qasem AlNajjar; 2024)
  • "Balak" (Zeyne feat. Saint Levant; 2022)
  • "Nasty" (Zeina feat. Saint Levant; 2023)
  • "Sak Pase" (Michaël Brun feat. Saint Levant and Lolo Zouaï; 2023)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Saint Levant Represents Palestine, Raps in 3 Languages & is Thankful for His TikTok Success". Harper's Bazaar. May 2, 2023. Retrieved March 11, 2024 – via YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d Babar, Laiba (January 30, 2023). "Who is Saint Levant? Everything We Know About the Viral Arab Rapper". GQ Middle East. Archived from the original on January 31, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Siddique, Asad (January 13, 2024). "Saint Levant: Home-maker". Alserkal Avenue. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Aswad, Jem (February 23, 2024). "Palestinian-Algerian Rapper Saint Levant Drops 'Deira' Single With MC Abdul, Paying Tribute to Gaza". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Bain, Katie (February 24, 2024). "Saint Levant & Gazan Rapper MC Abdul Celebrate the Culture of Palestine in 'Deira' Video". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Hidayah, Saif (October 18, 2022). "Saint Levant Is Out For Hearts And Minds". Yung. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Al Saadi, Leen (November 29, 2023). "GQ Men of the Year 2023: Saint Levant, From Gaza With Love And Towards Liberation". GQ Middle East. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
  8. ^ "Palestinian artist Saint Levant to make Coachella debut". Arab News. January 19, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Chokrane, Boutayna (December 21, 2022). "Saint Levant on Shattering Arab Stereotypes and Why He's Keeping the Mustache". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  10. ^ Tatum, Chyenne (July 25, 2024). "7 Things To Know About Saint Levant". EnVi Media. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  11. ^ Caramanica, Jon (March 6, 2023). "For Saint Levant, Sexy Music Is Personal, and Political". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Anwar, Shaheera (May 5, 2023). "Dior makes history with Saint Levant, the first Middle East fragrance ambassador". Fact Magazines. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Mekkaoui, Meeran (January 18, 2024). "Saint Levant at Coachella is Finally Happening". GQ Middle East. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  14. ^ "Saint Levant addresses Gaza war on stage at Coachella music festival". Arab News. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
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