Yasmine Hamdan

Yasmine Hamdan (b. 1976) is a Lebanese singer, songwriter and actress based in Paris.

Since the release of her debut solo album Ya Nass (2013), Yasmine Hamdan’s personal, modern take on Arabic pop has been receiving tremendous attention in Europe, America, North Africa and the Middle East (where she’s enjoyed iconic stature since the days of Soapkills, the duet she founded in her native Beirut, which was one of the first indie/electronic bands in the Middle East).

She had a cameo in Jim Jarmusch movie Only Lovers Left Alive, in which she was featured singing, onscreen, in one of the film’s most memorable scenes.

While Yasmine’s vocals are connected to traditions of Arabic, the structures and arrangements of the songs are very remote from its codes and take in elements from contemporary Western electronic, pop and folk music.

Her unique vision is fully realized in her upcoming second solo album, provisionally entitled Al-Jamilat (The Beautiful Ones), which she jointly produced with UK producers Luke Smith (Foals, Depeche Mode, Lily Allen) and Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Carl Barät), and recorded with contributions from NY musicians Shahzad Ismaily (Laurie Anderson, Lou Reed, John Zorn, Marc Ribot) and Sonic Youth’s Steve Shelley.