Marwan Abdelhamid, professionally known as Saint Levant, is an independent trilingual artist facilitating a major cultural shift in the music industry. Raised in Gaza before moving to Jordan, where he spent the majority of his adolescence, Abdelhamid was born in Jerusalem to a Palestinian Serbian father and French Algerian mother. His family spoke French in their household, while he spoke English at school and Arabic in the Palestinian refugee camp where he went to play soccer after class.
Saint Levant has recently taken social media platforms by storm with his song "Very Few Friends". A smooth yet mesmerizing tapestry of French, English, and Arabic, the track explores the universal language of desire through the use of sultry vocals and smooth rhythms.
The newly-esteemed artist has been slowly building a supportive and loyal fan base since he was 14. Now a ripe 22, Abdelhamid has no intention of slowing down. His newest release, a dreamy and dynamic EP titled From Gaza, With Love, delves into pressing topics in the artist's life, like his relationship with his cultural background, while subtly weaving sensual undertones into each song through sly sexual remarks and delicate imagery.
While identifying with multiple linguistic and cultural backgrounds is not entirely uncommon, the artist has maintained a sense of individuality from his peers that he did not always cherish. His unique cultural background seems to have manifested itself in his personal style. He was often mocked as a child for things that made him stand out, such as painting his nails or wearing earrings. However, Abdelhamid persevered through this ridicule and conserved his nonconformity, using music as a creative outlet to transform his identity from something to be criticized into something to be celebrated and explored.
"Abdelhamid is paving the way for major changes in the music industry and beyond."
Everything in Saint Levant's character as an artist embodies this fusion of multiculturalism and originality and connects his internal complexities to his music, the stage name Saint Levant even being a reference to the former name of his home region. His music style follows the same pattern of refinement, intertwining French, Arabic, and English lyrics in each of his songs. The musician has further established his distinct style by oftentimes incorporating topics perceived as taboo in some cultures, detailing his sexuality as well as making a commentary on his own cultural influences and experiences, as well as the politics behind them.
In this way, Saint Levant attracts a wide audience, often exposing different types of people to ideas otherwise foreign them. In cultivating such an abundant and diverse following, the polyglot has been able to facilitate for his audience a greater understanding of largely different cultures and practices in a way that is palatable to all types of listeners.
In facilitating this global exposure, Abdelhamid is paving the way for major changes in the music industry and beyond. By catalyzing this approachability to and appreciation for cultural exploration, he is fostering the potential for a new wave of linguistic fusion in the music industry. While current musicians have worked to refine their sound through means of genre-blending, Saint Levant’s music style encourages other artists to also explore and represent their own cultural identities.
In this modern age of technology, we have access to the entire world at the will of our fingertips. With this immense power and opportunity, we have the ability to expand our understanding of other people and connect with other cultures in a way entirely novel to humanity. Saint Levant’s popularization of intersectionality is similarly unusual and represents a new opportunity for humans to love and understand one another through the universal language of music.
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