Yasmine Hamdan ( ar, ياسمين حمدان; born 1976) is a Lebanese singer and songwriter, now based in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Biography

Hamdan became known with

Soapkills Soapkills or Soap Kills (in Arabic الصابون يقتل read as "As-Saboun Yaqtol") is an indie electro-pop band based in Lebanon. The group was formed in October 1997 when Zeid Hamdan and Yasmine Hamdan, both born in Beirut in 1976 but not r ...

, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan (no relation) while she was still living in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. The first album released by Soapkills was ''Bater'' (1999). Soapkills was one of the first independent electronic bands in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

, and its innovative approach exerted a lasting influence. To this day, Yasmine Hamdan is considered an icon of underground music across the

Arab world The Arab world ( ar, اَلْعَالَمُ الْعَرَبِيُّ '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, refers to a vast group of countries, mainly located in Western A ...

. After moving to Paris, Hamdan collaborated with CocoRosie. She teamed up with Mirwais (who was part of French electronic new wave band

Taxi Girl Taxi Girl were a French New wave music, new wave band, adopting the New Romantic aesthetics of the time, such as clashing red and black clothing, synthesizer-led songs, and taking influence from mythology and literature. The group existed betwe ...

in the 80s, and produced/co-wrote some of

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

's albums), with whom she recorded the ''Arabology'' album (2008), under the

Y.A.S. Y.A.S. is an electronic music duo, formed in 2007 in Paris, France, and consists of Mirwais Ahmadzaï (keyboard/guitar) and Yasmine Hamdan (vocals). The duo began recording their debut album, '' Arabology'', in 2007. Ahmadzaï wanted to create a ...

moniker. Hamdan then joined forces with

Marc Collin Marc Collin is a French musician, film music composer and record producer. He is best known as the founder, with Olivier Libaux, of the project Nouvelle Vague, a cover band that covers new wave songs in a bossa nova style. Collin also released a ...

(of Nouvelle Vague) to write and produce her first, self-titled solo album, which came out in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and Lebanon in 2012 on

Kwaidan Records is a Japanese word consisting of two kanji: 怪 (''kai'') meaning "strange, mysterious, rare, or bewitching apparition" and 談 (''dan'') meaning "talk" or "recited narrative". Overall meaning and usage In its broadest sense, ''kaidan'' refers ...

), and was released internationally (in a revised version with five new tracks) in 2013 by Crammed Discs under the title ''Ya Nass''. In this album, which blends pop, folk and electronic sounds with melodies and lyrics inspired by various Middle-Eastern traditions, Hamdan "has undertaken the challenge of affirming and rewriting Arabic musical heritage", according to the Al-Akhbar paper. Her personal life (she has lived in Lebanon, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Greece and France) and her curiosity have enabled Hamdan to playfully use various dialects of Arabic in her lyrics, which alternate between Lebanese, Kuwaiti, Palestinian,

Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...

and

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

, as well as some of the code-switching which is so typical of Middle-Eastern humour. Hamdan had a cameo in Jim Jarmusch's film '' Only Lovers Left Alive'' alongside

Tilda Swinton Katherine Matilda Swinton (born 5 November 1960) is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

and Tom Hiddleston. She has written an original soundtrack for the

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

play ''Rituel pour une métamorphose'' by

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n playwright Saadallah Wannous for a production at Comédie Française. Entitled ''Al Jamilat'' ('The Beautiful Ones'), Yasmine Hamdan's second solo album came out in 2017. Recorded in Beirut, Paris and London, it was produced by herself, co-produced by Leo Abrahams and Luke Smith, and features performances by

Shahzad Ismaily Secret Chiefs 3 (or SC3) is an American avant-garde group led by guitarist/composer Trey Spruance (of Mr. Bungle and formerly, Faith No More). Their studio recordings and tours have featured different lineups, as the group performs a wide rang ...

Steve Shelley Steven Jay Shelley (born June 23, 1962) is an American drummer. He is best known as the longtime drummer of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth, for whom he played from 1985 until their 2011 disbandment. Biography Shelley was born in Midland, ...

and more. An album of reworks by the likes of

Acid Arab In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...

Matias Aguayo Matias Aguayo (born 1973 in Santiago, Chile) is a Chilean-German techno producer and DJ. Aguayo grew up in Gummersbach, Germany. In 1997, working with Michael Mayer under the project name Zimt, he released his first singe "U.O.A.A." on the labe ...

Brandt Brauer Frick Brandt Brauer Frick is a German electronic music ensemble from Berlin. The group's members are Daniel Brandt, Jan Brauer, and Paul Frick. The group's members are classically trained and began performing together in 2009. ''The Guardian'' described ...

and several others came out in 2018 (''Jamilat Reprise''). Yasmine Hamdan is married to the Palestinian film director and actor

Elia Suleiman Elia Suleiman ( ar, إيليا سليمان, ; born 28 July 1960) is a Palestinian film director and actor of Rûm Greek Orthodox origin. He is best known for the 2002 film ''Divine Intervention'' ( ar, يد إلهية), a modern tragic comedy on ...

and lives in Paris.

Discography

;with Soap Kills * ''Bater'' (1999) * ''Cheftak'' (2001) * ''Enta Fen'' (2005) ;with

* '' Arabology'' (2009) ;Solo recordings * ''

Ya Nass ''Ya Nass'' is the debut solo album by the Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan, previously a member of the band Soap Kills and one half of the duo Y.A.S. The album was originally given a limited release, in France and Lebanon, on the French Kwaidan lab ...

'' (2013) (originally given a limited release in 2012 as ''Yasmine Hamdan'') * ''

Al Jamilat Yasmine Hamdan ( ar, ياسمين حمدان; born 1976) is a Lebanese singer and songwriter, now based in Paris. Biography Hamdan became known with Soapkills, the duo she founded with Zeid Hamdan (no relation) while she was still living in Be ...

'' (2017) * ''Jamilat Reprise'' (2018)

Film music

*2016: ''

In Between In Between or related spellings may refer to: Film and television * ''In Between'', a 1991 film featuring Alexandra Paul * ''In Between'' (1994 film), a Hong Kong romantic anthology film * ''In Between'' (2005 film), a film with a score by Suz ...

'' by

Maysaloun Hamoud Maysaloun Hamoud (born 1982 in Budapest) is a Hungarian-born film director who is a Palestinian citizen of Israel. Her film '' Bar Bahar'' (''In Between'') won the NETPAC Award for World or International Asian Film Premiere at the 2016 Toronto In ...

*2013: '' Only Lovers Left Alive'' by

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

*2009: ''

The Time That Remains ''The Time That Remains'' is a 2009 semi-biographical drama film written and directed by Palestinian director Elia Suleiman. The film stars Ali Suliman, Elia Suleiman, Saleh Bakri and Samar Qudha Tanus. It gives an account of the creation of the ...

'' by

*2006: ''What a Wonderful World'' by

Faouzi Bensaidi Fawzi, Faouzi, Fawzy or Fevzi (in Arabic فوزي) is an Arabic and Turkish name and surname meaning "triumph". Notable people with the name include: Given name Fawzi *Ali Fawzi Rebaine (born 1955), the leader of the Ahd 54 political party in Alge ...

*2005: '' A Perfect Day'' by K.Jreij and Joana Hadjithomas *2003: ''Cendres'' by K.Jreij and Joana Hadjithomas *2002: ''Aux Frontière'' by D.Arbid, documentaire (ARTE, RTBF, CBF) *2002: '' Intervention Divine'' by

*2002: ''Terra Incognita'' by Ghassan Salhab,

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

2002

References

External links

*
Yasmine Hamdan page on the Crammed Discs websiteYasmine Hamdan at Farklı Müzik
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamdan, Yasmine 1976 births Living people Lebanese emigrants to France Trip hop musicians 21st-century Lebanese women singers Ipecac Recordings artists 21st-century French women singers French folk-pop singers 20th-century Lebanese women singers