"The first time I heard a song by Saint Levant, only three years ago, was in a world that does not exist any more. Gaza’s buildings were intact, as were its schools and roads and markets and mosques. My home city of Khartoum in Sudan was standing, as it had for centuries. Back then, I could scroll for fun, not in dread. I could stumble, say, in late 2022, upon an arresting clip on TikTok of a song by an Arab artist with a pun for a name..." Nesrine Malik

Palestinian musician Saint Levant performing at Les Francofolies, Paris, July 2025.

Photograph: Sadaka Edmond/SIPA/Shutterstock

Saint Levant: the pop star from Gaza caught between passionate fandom and bitter disapproval

His detractors say he shouldn’t be making pop music in times of war and destruction. His millions of fans say he has given them permission to celebrate their culture and their cause

By Nesrine Malik

Tue 26 May 2026 00.00 EDT

The first time I heard a song by Saint Levant, only three years ago, was in a world that does not exist any more. Gaza’s buildings were intact, as were its schools and roads and markets and mosques. My home city of Khartoum in Sudan was standing, as it had for centuries. Back then, I could scroll for fun, not in dread. I could stumble, say, in late 2022, upon an arresting clip on TikTok of a song by an Arab artist with a pun for a name; Saint Levant, a play on Saint Laurent – the icon of western style had been Arabised in homage to the Middle East’s Levant region.

I began to see the same song all over my social media. In the video, Saint Levant, then 22, is in a white vest and brown trousers. A gold pendant chain dangles on his chest, a tattoo encircles his left arm. He starts by rapping in English, telling the woman he is wooing that “he’s not toxic, he’s broken baby”. And then, the twist, as he switches to Arabic, then French, then English again. Like a wholesome boy next door, he tells her to send his regards to her grandmother and her brother. Then says that he wants to make her forget about her ex, he wants her overthinking all her texts... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/may/26/saint-levant-the-pop-star-from-gaza-caught-between-passionate-fandom-and-bitter-disapproval

 [AS ALWAYS PLEASE GO TO THE LINK TO READ GOOD ARTICLES (or quotes or watch videos) IN FULL: HELP SHAPE ALGORITHMS (and conversations) THAT EMPOWER DECENCY, DIGNITY, JUSTICE & PEACE... and hopefully Palestine] 

Village Voice interview: Simon Shaheen On Occupy Wall Street, The Arab Renaissances, And Uncovering Arabic Music's Instrumental Repertoire

You performed at the American Task Force on Palestine gala last week. What did you play there?

We played instrumentals and two songs with Moroccan singer Nidal Ibourk, who lives in Chicago. "Iraq," an instrumental I composed four years ago, is based on a short Iraqi folk theme. We also performed a song whose title translates as "The Land Speaks Arabic."

Have you visited Occupy Wall Street yet? How does it compare to the popular revolts in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya?

I can certainly draw similarities from what I've seen on TV and the fact that people are camping there. It's so obvious that the occupiers themselves recognize it. I'd like to go there and participate. Maybe I'll do a performance. I haven't been down there yet because this semester I've been teaching at Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston. And with all my travel, projects, and performances, it's a nightmare.

I hope this doesn't sound condescending, but I suspect a lot of Westerners have trouble enjoying Arabic music because of its perceived sameness. They only hear the swelling strings, melodramatic vocals, and "habibi habibi habibi." Not to mention the belly dancers.

I've been in the United States for 30 years, and I've seen a huge growth in appreciation of Arabic music. I think I was part of it. I remember when I first came here and we didn't have any audience. Americans generally viewed Middle Eastern music as cabaret with belly dancers, and those were the venues in which it was mainly heard, unfortunately. But my colleagues and I worked very hard to reach out to performing-arts centers, universities, and even elementary schools; we offered residencies, workshops, and lectures in addition to performances. Nobody can deny that Arabic music contains fabulous poetry, but I started the Near Eastern Music Ensemble in order to concentrate on instrumental music. People here didn't know there even was instrumental Arabic repertoire. Arabic music has made fantastic strides outside the Middle East since the late '70s and early '80s. I can feel it during my performances.

What Arab music speaks most strongly to the current situation in Palestine?

We are including a song Fairuz sang for Palestine at the beginning of the '60s. In Palestine we have a strong folkloric repertoire; indeed, folklore is the repertoire. Much of it doesn't need a political statement to reflect what's going on. Palestine's poetry is very powerful and speaks of the land, olive trees, hills, the nature of the people, and intricate details of village or rural life. Dances like the dabke are important, too, of course. Folklore, music, dance, embroidery, and theater all speak for Palestine.

Simon Shaheen performs at Roulette on Saturday night as part of "Songs for the People: Voices of the Arab Renaissance."

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2011/10/simon_shaheen_interview.php

Q&A: Simon Shaheen On Occupy Wall Street, The Arab Renaissances, And Uncovering Arabic Music's Instrumental Repertoire

By Richard Gehr Fri., Oct. 28 2011 at 6:00 PM

READ THE INTERVIEW IN FULL