Saint Levant

Saint Levant is the stage name of Palestinian-born, US-based rapper Marwan Abdelhamid. Born on October 6, 2000, in the city of Jerusalem to a French-Algerian mother and a Palestinian-Serbian father, he spent most of his formative years in Gaza and later fled to Jordan after the beginning of a civil war in the Strip. In 2018, the multi-faceted artist relocated to Santa Barbara, California, to pursue a bachelor's degree in International Relations. Three years later, he would emerge onto the scene as Saint Levant, a politically-minded wordsmith who can effortlessly deliver his message in Arabic, French, and English. Leveraged by an ever-growing social media presence, his 2020 debut single "Jerusalem Freestyle" accrued hundreds of thousands of plays on streaming platforms and was followed by another single titled "Nirvana in Gaza" later that year. However, it was his 2022 viral single "Very Few Friends" that thrust him into the global spotlight, reaching number 100 on the Irish charts thanks to its vibrant mix of trap and R&B. This success was followed by the release of the single "I Guess" in December of that year. From Gaza, with Love, his debut EP, arrived in 2023. After signing with Universal Arabic Music in 2024, he released the single "Deira" with MC Abdul, named after a beachfront hotel built by his father that got destroyed during Israel's attacks on the Gaza Strip. DEIRA was also the name of Saint Levant's second full-length album, which peaked at number 84 on the French charts.