Zeid Hamdan

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Zeid Hamdan

Zeid Hamdan is a key figure of SWANAs alternative music scene. As producer, composer, and musician, he rose to prominence in the early 2000s with Soapkills - pioneering duo he formed with Yasmine Hamdan - blending electronic sounds with Arabic melodies in a bold fusion that paved the way for an entire generation. Nicknamed the "Godfather of Middle Eastern underground," Zeid has since pursued a deeply personal and prolific path, spanning cross-border collaborations and politically engaged projects, as Bédouin Burger. He has also composed for cinema, with several major films to his credit: Capharnaüm by Nadine Labaki, nominated for an Academy Award; Costa Brava, Lebanon; Lebanon; and Dirty, Difficult, Dangerous by Wissam Charaf.

In 2025, he serves as music director for a creation at the Printemps de Bourges paying tribute to Oum Kalthoum, inviting several artists to embody this ambitious repertoire: Camélia Jordana, Abdullah Miniawy, Danyl, Maryam Saleh, Natacha Atlas, Rouhnaa, and Souad Massi. This grand-scale performance has already been staged in the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais des Papes in Avignon and in the Port of Marseille before an audience of nearly 15,000 people.

The Paris premiere of Zeid Hamdan's new band show last October 23 at La Flèche d'Or — a committed, activist venue resonated with Zeid's own call for audiences to "wake up" and mobilize through the lyrics of his songs (S7ah!). This new show also brings together some of the most emblematic tracks from his repertoire with new, intimate and unexpected compositions, offering audiences the full range of his musical subtlety. An electrifying live show at the crossroads of psychedelic rock, electronic textures, and Eastern reminiscences - an invitation to (re)discover the contemporary history of alternative music in the SWANA region, and glimpse its future.

Support: Azadi