Saint Levant
Saint Levant سانت ليفانت | |
|---|---|
Saint Levant performing at Melbourne Town Hall as part of the Rising arts festival, June 2026 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Marwan Abdelhamid October 6, 2000 Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine |
| Origin | California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Works | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Labels |
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Partner | Naïka (2023–2025) |
| Website | saintlevant |
Marwan Abdelhamid (Arabic: مروان عبد الحميد; born October 6, 2000), known professionally as Saint Levant (French: [sɛ̃ ləvɑ̃]; Arabic: سانت ليفانت), is a Palestinian singer-songwriter and rapper. A multilingual artist, he became known for his 2022 song "Very Few Friends". As of August 2026,[update] he has released two EPs and two studio albums, and has toured in the Middle East, Europe, the US, and Australia.
Early life and education
Marwan Abdelhamid was born on October 6, 2000[1][2][3] in Jerusalem at the start of the Second Intifada to an Algerian-French mother, Maria Mohammedi, and a Palestinian-Serbian father, Rashid Abdelhamid, who were both raised in Algeria. His father, the son of a Serbian medical doctor and a Palestinian from Safad who studied engineering in Yugoslavia following his expulsion as a child in 1948, has worked as an architect, hotel entrepreneur, DJ and film producer; his mother, the daughter of a French female pianist and former music teacher at the French lycée in Algiers, has worked for UNRWA.[3][4][5][6] He has a younger brother, named Khaled.[3]
Shortly after Abdelhamid's birth, the family joined his paternal grandparents in the Gaza Strip, where his parents built a 22-room beachfront hotel in Rimal based on an architectural project by his father, named "Al Deira". He spent his childhood primarily there, attending the American International School, until the 2007 Battle of Gaza, after which he and his family relocated to Amman, Jordan.[4][5][7][8][9] He has described the time spent in Gaza as "the best years of [his] life".[10]
Abdelhamid took up the passion for music from his father and his maternal grandmother, studying piano and saxophone.[3][5][6] Growing up, he 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.[11]
In 2018, aged 17,[2] 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.[12][11]
Musical career
Before taking on the name Saint Levant (a pun on French luxury fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent and his native Levant region),[2][13] Abdelhamid wrote "Jerusalem Freestyle" and "Nirvana in Gaza", both of which discussed political issues. Around the same time, he began posting videos on TikTok in which he discussed Palestinian history, as well as commentary on toxic masculinity in Arab culture.[9][14]
In November 2022, Saint Levant released his trilingual (English, French, and Arabic) rap track "Very Few Friends", which was streamed approximately 2 million YouTube views in one month.[4] The song soon became popular on TikTok and Instagram,[12][15] as well as on Spotify, where it peaked at number 1 in nineteen countries and number 2 in the United States, and reached number 2 on the Global Viral 50 chart.[16][17]
In 2023, Saint Levant released the EP From Gaza, with Love. He was named among the 2023 "Men of the Year" by GQ Middle East.[9] 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 January 2024 during Israel's war on Gaza; the song featured as the title track on his debut album Deira, containing duets with other artists like Cheb Bilal and Kehlani.[7][8] Saint Levant performed at Coachella 2024,[18] using his performance to bring awareness to the ongoing war taking place in Gaza.[19] The following 22 May, he was part of the lineup of a Palestine charity concert at Zénith Paris, whose revenue was destined to Medical Aid for Palestinians.[20]

On February 14, 2025, on the occasion of Saint Valentine's Day, Saint Levant released the EP Love Letters / رسائل حب, divided between a "side A" (Love Letters from Saint Levant) and a "side B" (رسائل حب من مروان, Rasāʾil ḥubb min Marwān), and featuring three unreleased tracks out of six.[21] A deluxe edition of the album was released on August 22, 2025, featuring four bonus tracks which included three collaborations with North African artists – namely Tunisian rapper Nordo, Egyptian mahraganat singer Fares Sokkar, and Algerian band Babylone.[22]
Following the release of the singles "Sabah El Ward" (صباح الورد)[23] and "Nano",[24] in early June 2026 Saint Levant was touring Australia. After playing to a sold-out crowd on June 4 at Melbourne Town Hall as part of Rising festival, he played at City Recital Hall in Sydney as part of Vivid Sydney, and then at Princess Theatre in Brisbane.[25] On August 21, 2026, Saint Levant released his second studio album, Afandi / افندي, his first album release entirely in Arabic, which had been anticipated by "Sabah El Ward" and the Haifa Wehbe collaboration "Mitsubishi"; the third single from the album was "Maskara" (مسكرة) with Mohammed Assaf.[26][27][28] The release is accompanied by a world tour originally scheduled between August and December 2026;[26][28] the North American dates were later postponed until spring 2027 due to issues related to new US visa requirements for immigrants.[29]
Other ventures
In May 2023, Saint Levant was chosen as Dior's first fragrance ambassador in the Middle East.[30]
On February 17, 2025, he featured alongside Lourdes Leon in a promotional video for Yves Saint Laurent and Peter Park's new omakase restaurant Sushi Park Paris.[31]
In July 2025, cosmetics brand Huda Beauty launched a new shade and scent of lip oil in partnership with Saint Levant, named "Kalamantina" (كلمنتينا, Arabic for 'clementine') after a track from his latest album.[32][33]
In June 2026, Abdelhamid became Prada's first Palestinian brand ambassador, for the 2027 spring/summer season.[34][35][36]
Artistry, activism, and public image
Saint Levant cites artists like Wyclef Jean, Cheb Khaled, Fairuz, Marwan Moussa, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Stromae, Timbaland, Eminem, Mika, and Bruno Mars as providing inspiration for his music.[3][13][37][38]

Early in his career, Abdelhamid co-founded GrowHome, which connects Palestinian entrepreneurs with individuals who can help fund their projects.[9][14] In early 2022, alongside Stephanie Moukhaiber, he started the 2048 Fellowship – a project providing financial support and mentorship for Palestinian creatives; its name, which was changed to "2048 Foundation" in 2024, references the 100th anniversary of the Nakba.[5][9][39] In early 2026, the foundation launched the $5,000 Loubani Grants, destined to 40 Palestinian artists.[28][40]
Saint Levant is outspoken on the struggle in Palestine, telling Harper's Bazaar:[2]
"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."
Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, Saint Levant has stated that a sense of "survivor's guilt" has contributed to shaping his artistic production.[41]
Abdelhamid identifies as having a feminist upbringing, with much of his early social media content focusing on women's rights.[38]
Criticism
In February 2025, pro-Israel groups and media criticized Yves Saint Laurent's collaboration with Abdelhamid as a partnership with an "antisemite" (reportedly for "anti-Jewish statements" which included support for the attacks against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in November 2024), and called for boycotting the brand.[42] A similar reaction was prompted by Prada's 2026 ambassador announcement, which featured the rapper wearing a silver neck pendant in the shape of historic Palestine;[35][36] aside from Abdelhamid's "hate" history,[36] some felt his necklace promoted the erasure of the state of Israel, otherwise viewed as endorsement of a one-state solution.[35]
Saint Levant's shade of lip oil produced for Huda Beauty in July 2025, "Kalamantina", was promoted with various videos featuring him and Huda Kattan surrounded by clementines, with proceeds originally intended to fund projects for Palestinian agriculture and cultural preservation.[32][33] The move, whose timing coincided with the most critical stage of Israel's starvation of Gaza and its daily shootings of Palestinian aid seekers, was met with mixed feelings; a social media user called it "tone deaf", while Palestinian Pulitzer Prize winner Mosab Abu Toha criticized it as insensitive to Gazans' "feelings as human beings" regardless of financial support.[43][44] In response, Kattan chose to instead donate 100% of the campaign proceeds to Doctors Without Borders for their work in Gaza.[43][45]
On August 1, 2026, Saint Levant was the object of "SLV", a diss track in which fellow Palestinian rapper Shabjdeed criticized his mainstream commercial success and accused him of commodifying the Palestinian cause, using it as a mere aesthetic to light-themed works in order to appeal to Western audiences. The song sparked a debate over Palestinian representation amid the Gaza genocide, and has brought up the question of the national identity of a people with different lived experiences in different parts of Palestine and the diaspora.[46][47][48]
Personal life
Abdelhamid is a Muslim.[49][50] He lives in Los Angeles, though he regularly returns to Amman.[4]
In December 2023, he started a relationship with French-Haitian singer Naïka;[3][51][52] the couple announced their breakup via Instagram on September 25, 2025.[52][53]
Discography
Albums
- Deira (2024)
- Afandi / افندي (2026)
EPs
- From Gaza, with Love (2023)
- Love Letters / رسائل حب (2025)
Tours
Deira Tour (2024)
| Date[54] | City[54] | Country | Venue[54] |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 22 | Austin, Texas | United States | Emo's |
| September 23 | Houston, Texas | Warehouse Live | |
| September 25 | Dallas, Texas | The Studio at The Factory | |
| September 28 | Los Angeles, California | The Fonda Theatre | |
| September 30 | San Francisco, California | The Fillmore | |
| October 1 | The Independent | ||
| October 4 | Vancouver, British Columbia | Canada | Commodore Ballroom |
| October 6 | Seattle, Washington | United States | The Showbox |
| October 7 | Portland, Oregon | Wonder Ballroom | |
| October 15 | Nantes | France | Stereolux |
| October 17 | Paris | L'Olympia | |
| October 28 | Marseille | Espace Julien | |
| October 30 | Milan | Italy | Alcatraz |
| November 1 | Lausanne | Switzerland | Les Docks |
| November 2 | Munich | Germany | Strom |
| November 4 | Berlin | Metropol | |
| November 6 | Stockholm | Sweden | Debaser |
| November 8 | Oslo | Norway | Cosmopolite |
| November 12 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Paradiso |
| November 13 | Copenhagen | Denmark | Pumpehuset |
| November 16 | Zurich | Switzerland | Plaza Klub |
| November 18 | Brussels | Belgium | Ancienne Belgique |
| November 20 | Manchester | England | New Century Hall |
| November 23 | Glasgow | Scotland | SWG3 Warehouse |
| November 27 | Dublin | Ireland | The Academy |
| November 28 | London | England | Kentish Town Forum |
| December 8 | Montreal, Quebec | Canada | M Telus |
| December 9 | Toronto, Ontario | Danforth Music Hall | |
| December 11 | Boston, Massachusetts | United States | Citizens House of Blues |
| December 12 | Washington, D.C. | 9:30 Club | |
| December 13 | New York, New York | Terminal 5 | |
| December 15 | Detroit, Michigan | Saint Andrew's Hall | |
| December 16 | Chicago, Illinois | Metro |
Afandi World Tour (2026–27)
References
- ↑ Payne, Laura (December 1, 2025). "Saint Levant". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 3, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 "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.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Laïreche, Rachid (June 3, 2024). "Saint Levant, Libre rêveur". Libération (in French). Retrieved January 9, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 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.
- 1 2 3 4 Belkaïd, Meryem (March 7, 2024). "Saint Levant, une nouvelle voix sort du rang pour Gaza". Orient XXI (in French). Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- 1 2 Nasinde, Shama (May 9, 2023). "interview | saint levant". Schön!. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 Bain, Katie (February 24, 2024). "Saint Levant & Gazan Rapper MC Abdul Celebrate the Culture of Palestine in 'Deira' Video". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Al Saadi, Leen (November 29, 2023). "GQ Men of the Year 2023: Saint Levant, From Gaza With Love And Towards Liberation". GQ Middle East. Archived from the original on December 19, 2024. Retrieved December 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Palestinian artist Saint Levant to make Coachella debut". Arab News. January 19, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- 1 2 Siddique, Asad (January 13, 2024). "Saint Levant: Home-maker". Alserkal Avenue. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
- 1 2 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.
- 1 2 Tatum, Chyenne (July 25, 2024). "7 Things To Know About Saint Levant". EnVi Media. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
- 1 2 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.
- ↑ Kreshan, Zaid (November 12, 2022). "Saint Levant is in His Lover Boy Era With 'Very Few Friends'". SceneNoise. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ↑ Haddad, Jubran (March 21, 2023). "Saint Levant Is Paving the Way for Arab Artists on the Global Stage". Chartmetric. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ↑ Haddad, Jubran (March 21, 2023). "Saint Levant Went From 'Very Few Friends' to Global Fans". How Music Charts. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
- ↑ Mekkaoui, Meeran (January 18, 2024). "Saint Levant at Coachella is Finally Happening". GQ Middle East. Archived from the original on December 13, 2024. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
- ↑ "Saint Levant addresses Gaza war on stage at Coachella music festival". Arab News. April 14, 2024. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
- ↑ Vilanova, Constance (May 30, 2024). "Saint Levant : le rappeur franco-palestinien qui cartonne sur les réseaux" (in French). Mouv'. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ↑ Catabui, Quinn (February 13, 2025). "Brb, swooning over Saint Levant's Valentine's Day Album drop". Cosmopolitan Middle East. Retrieved February 19, 2025.
- ↑ "Saint Levant Expands His 'Love Letters' Album with New Deluxe Edition". SceneNoise. August 22, 2025. Retrieved September 5, 2025.
- ↑ "Saint Levant Channels Tarab Romance on New Single 'Sabah El Ward'". SceneNoise. May 23, 2026. Retrieved June 19, 2026.
- ↑ Tomos, Megan (June 2, 2026). "Saint Levant and Tul8te Go All In On a Softboy vs. Cowboy Pop Face Off". GQ Middle East. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- ↑ Buckley, Nick (June 3, 2026). "Saint Levant review – Palestinian pop star makes Australian debut to an ecstatic, sold-out crowd". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 3, 2026. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- 1 2 Bilgrami, Lia (August 2026). "Saint Levant Announces His Upcoming Album 'Afandi' In True Celebrity Fashion". Grazia Middle East. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ "Saint Levant's Afandi Is an Homage to Timeless Arab Pop". Rolling Stone MENA. August 20, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Patarin, Pablo (August 21, 2026). "«Afandi» de Saint Levant: la musique arabe à l'épreuve de la pop mondialisée". RFI (in French). Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- 1 2 "Saint Levant delays US tour over visa restrictions". Roya News. September 2, 2026. Retrieved September 2, 2026.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ De la Cruz, Sofia (March 5, 2025). "Saint Laurent unveils Sushi Park Paris: the Los Angeles omakase's new outpost". Wallpaper. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
- 1 2 "Huda Beauty supports Palestine with Saint Levant collab". Arab News. July 19, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
- 1 2 Carrara, Alessandro (July 21, 2025). "Huda Beauty launches make-up collaboration with Palestinian musician Saint Levant". Cosmetics Business. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
- ↑ Maisey, Sarah (June 25, 2026). "Saint Levant becomes first Palestine-born Prada ambassador". The National. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Salem, Ola (June 30, 2026). "The Saint Wears Prada". New Lines Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Ninmar, Ilit (June 30, 2026). "Hate wears Prada': Prada's Palestinian ambassador sparks backlash over 'historic Palestine' pendant". ynet. Retrieved July 2, 2026.
- ↑ "Saint Levant on Collaborating with Kehlani, Elyanna, and More on his Latest Project 'Deira'". Rolling Stone. June 13, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2025 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 Hidayah, Saif (October 18, 2022). "Saint Levant Is Out For Hearts And Minds". YUNG. Retrieved August 31, 2026.
- ↑ Mounzer, Clément Camil; Honore, Anouk Lila (June 30, 2024). "De « lover boy » à symbole de la résistance palestinienne, le tournant artistique de Saint Levant depuis le 7 octobre". L'Orient–Le Jour (in French). Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ↑ "Saint Levant Announces $5,000 Grants to Support Palestinian Artists". CairoScene. February 26, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- ↑ Shihab-Eldin, Ahmed (December 8, 2023). "Saint Levant : 'Je pense que les artistes ne sont jamais pleinement satisfaits de leur travail'". GQ France (in French). Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ↑ Yaacov, Itay (February 18, 2025). "Palestinian rapper, Israel critic stars in Saint Laurent campaign". ynet. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
- 1 2 "Huda Beauty's 'Kalamantina' campaign sparks outrage for being 'tone-deaf' to Gaza's crisis". The Week. Kochi, India. July 28, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ↑ Mullally, William (July 22, 2025). "Pulitzer-winning Palestinian author confronts Saint Levant and Huda Kattan: 'Do you really care about Gaza?'". The National. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
- ↑ Gonzales, Elizabeth (July 27, 2025). "Huda Beauty to donate 100% of campaign proceeds to medical aid in Gaza". Khaleej Times. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ↑ El-Khaldi, Ayah (August 3, 2026). "Shabjdeed's Saint Levant diss track: Who gets to represent Palestine?". Middle East Eye. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ Khalil, Sarah (August 3, 2026). "Is Saint Levant selling Palestine? The rap feud everyone is talking about". The New Arab. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "The Debate Behind Shabjdeed's Saint Levant Diss: Is Palestinian Identity About Heritage or the Struggle?". El-Shai. August 2, 2026. Retrieved August 3, 2026.
- ↑ "Everything You Need To Know About Rapper Saint Levant". Highsnobiety. July 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ↑ Ricchuito, Azmia (March 27, 2023). "12 Muslim Artists to Listen to on Muslim Women's Day". Paper Mag. Retrieved January 8, 2025.
- ↑ Catabui, Quinn (January 7, 2025). "A Complete Timeline Of Saint Levant & Naika's Relationship". Grazia Middle East. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
- 1 2 انفصال سانت ليفانت ونايكا.. رسائل الوداع مؤثرة [Saint Levant and Naika break up... heartfelt farewell messages]. al-ain.com (in Arabic). September 25, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
- ↑ Raut, Mamta (September 26, 2025). "Power couple Saint Levant and Naïka call it quits but it's all love and respect". Mashable Middle East. Retrieved September 27, 2025.
- 1 2 3 "DEIRA Tour by Saint Levant". Laylo. Retrieved June 4, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Saint Levant". MCD.ie. MCD Productions. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Tour". saintlevant.com. Archived from the original on August 23, 2026. Retrieved August 23, 2026.
External links
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