Yasmine Hamdan is a lebanese singer, composer, songwriter and actress born in 1976. She began to stand out in the Soapkills duo, one of the first independent electronic bands in the Middle East, whose legacy turned Hamdan into an underground music icon in the Arabic world. After moving to Paris, she worked with musicians such as CocoRosie, Mirwais and Nouvelle Vague’s Marc Collin. Her debut solo album Ya Nass came out in 2013, and introduced Hamdan’s style as one which blends pop, folk and electronic sounds with melodies and lyrics inspired by various Middle-Eastern traditions.
Since then, Hamdan’s modern arabic pop has been getting tremendous attention also in Europe, America and North Africa. She's performed prestigious shows on four continents, including a series of performances for the launch of the Jim Jarmusch film Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), in which she's featured singing in one of the film's most memorable scenes.Her unique vision is fully realized in her second solo album, Al Jamilat (2017), 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 New York musicians Shahzad Ismaily and Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley.