Starting over: Mashrou’ Leila celebrate 10 years in music

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Hamed Sinno and Firas Abou Fakher of Mashrou' Leila perform at The Roundhouse in London on March 7, 2019. (Getty Images)
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Mashrou' Leila: Hamed Sinno, Carl Gerges, Firas Abou Fakher, and Haig Parpazian (clockwise from left). (Tarek Moukaddem)
Updated 05 April 2019
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Starting over: Mashrou’ Leila celebrate 10 years in music

  • The acclaimed Lebanese indie band closed out a hugely successful decade last month. But, frontman Hamed Sinno explains, they nearly didn’t make it

DUBAI: For 10 years, Mashrou’ Leila have been at the forefront of the underground music scene in the Arab world. Their songs — from their indie-folk roots as a seven-piece to the polished electro-pop of their current work as a quartet — have provided an alternative soundtrack to the watered-down ‘habibi’ pop that dominates the mainstream music industry in the Middle East and their socially conscious lyrics have addressed the concerns of their generation. They are, arguably, the most potent force in Arabic music, as they will prove once again in Dubai on Friday, April 5, when they play the Wasla music festival alongside several of their peers.

Last month, they marked their anniversary with their biggest European tour to date and the release of their fifth album, “The Beirut School” — a sort of ‘Greatest Hits’ compilation that includes just three new tracks.

As singer Hamed Sinno explains to Arab News, that was not the original intention. The record should have been an entirely new one, the first since their 2015 album “Ibn El Leil,” which saw them grow from a regional success story into an international one, garnering widespread acclaim from European and North American media and performing a huge number of shows around the world. And they’ve done all of this out of a region in which independent, alternative musicians receive little-to-no support and, indeed, are often hindered from pursuing their careers for social or political reasons.

But the three-plus years since the release of “Ibn El Leil” have been, Sinno says, “a constant hurricane.” Despite his energetic, charismatic stage presence, Sinno — offstage — is basically an introvert. And the amped-up media attention, driven by his position as the frontman in a band that was increasingly being hailed as a driver for cultural change in the region, began to feel overwhelming for him.

“And regardless of that,” he adds, “the pace at which things started moving over the past three years — and I mean the good and the bad — you kind of lose track of what it is that you’re doing, what you want to be doing, and what you want to get out of your career. And I feel like those are things you can’t forget when you’re a musician. They need to factor into every damn decision. Really. Every other minute of your day has to be based on those things. And it just got really difficult to keep our eyes on the target.”

So difficult, in fact, that six songs into what was meant to be the new album, the band effectively split up. “We’d had a couple of long tours, but we’d also had a lot of time off, to reflect on whether or not we even wanted to still be doing this. We hit a bit of a rough spot. We started fighting about things that weren’t even our concern to start with. Honestly. It was like we brought other people’s expectations, or other people’s rubrics for what success is, into the studio, and it just felt really difficult to make any kind of decision, even about how to write a song. We had a big falling out and decided to stop,” Sinno explains.

For around nine months, the band members — Sinno, multi-instrumentalist Firas Abou Fakher, violinist Haig Parpazian and drummer Carl Gerges (bassist Ibrahim Badr recently left the group) — were, Sinno says, “under the impression that the band was over and we were just going to have a few more shows and call quits.”

Partly this was down to the inevitable internal disputes that almost every group that’s lasted as long as Mashrou’ Leila have will eventually face (as Sinno says, “I think it’s kind of miraculous that we only had our first major falling out with our fifth album rather than our second”). But it was also caused by factors way beyond the band’s control.

Following their performance at Cairo’s Music Park Festival in September 2017 a number of audience members who had been waving rainbow-colored flags in recognition of the band’s open support for LGBT rights were arrested. And the band were officially blackballed by the Egyptian musician’s syndicate, meaning they are not allowed to perform in Egypt again.

It was not the first time Mashrou’ Leila had been banned from performing in an Arab country, but it was the first time that authorities had targeted the band’s fans. Understandably, the “Cairo incident,” as Sinno refers to it, caused some heartache and serious soul-searching for the musicians.

“For a while, I felt completely defeated, for all the obvious reasons. It really did feel like a political and emotional defeat,” Sinno says. “The vibe in the band started to get really challenging; we started arguing with each other about stuff that we didn’t need to be arguing about. And I decided that maybe this wasn’t what I wanted to be doing anymore.”

Sinno used one of the new tracks, “Cavalry,” to address the frustrations that arose after the Cairo concert. “It’s really a turning point for me in how I felt about the situation,” he says. “It’s basically about embracing that defeat and just going for it anyway. It’s about not expecting to win, necessarily, but to fight anyway. Out of all the tracks we had written and had on standby, it was one that felt very valuable to us on several levels; professionally and emotionally.”

Thankfully, it seems that Mashrou’ Leila are now past their “rough spot.” The band even managed to write and record an “uncynically happy” song — “Radio Romance” — for “The Beirut School.”

“It’s a very big departure for the band — it’s very different from anything we’ve done before. Because we sort of sat down and agreed that it wouldn’t be a song that was about something horrible. It was honestly quite challenging, in the context of the last three years, to write something positive,” Sinno explains.

“We’re still negotiating how to move forward, but I think everyone’s on the same page, at least as far as intention goes, which is the most important thing at this point,” he continues. “It’s been pretty intense. But I think it was a necessary period to basically remind ourselves why we’re doing this and what it is that we’re hoping to get out of it.”

Their European tour last month has helped the band to refocus. “It was a really great tour to play. It was the first round of shows we’d played since we decided to get back together, and the nature and caliber of the venues we were playing in was kind of its own reward,” says Sinno. “It was like the cherry on top. Like, ‘Oh, this is what we’ve been given.’ Places like L’Olympia (Paris) and the Roundhouse (London). It was technically very difficult, and stressful, but it was cathartic.”

And on Friday they perform their first Middle East show since resolving to continue the Mashrou’ Leila journey. Wasla — an annual festival celebrating Arabic alternative music and now in its third year — is the kind of event that the region needs more of, Sinno suggests.

“It’s not about exposure as much as it is just sort of grouping some things together as these little monuments to what is going on in the region,” he says. “I feel like the Middle East has a history of not properly archiving and not properly looking at the work that it produces and the history of that work, so it’s always healthy to have things like festivals that you can look back at.”

To conclude, I ask him if he’s a fan of any of the other bands performing at Wasla.

“I’m actually a fan of all of the acts,” he replies without hesitation. “If for nothing else then just because I completely recognize and understand how difficult it is for anyone to still be making music in the region. I know first-hand how hard it is to devote yourself to this line of work, and the amount of negativity that comes with it. So I completely respect all of these musicians and I’m a huge fan of all of them.”


Naomi Campbell sparkles in Nicolas Jebran gown

Updated 05 May 2024
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Naomi Campbell sparkles in Nicolas Jebran gown

DUBAI: British supermodel Naomi Campbell wowed fellow guests at the wedding of PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kamani and model Nada Adelle, which took place at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France.

Campbell wore a custom couture gown by Lebanese designer Nicolas Jebran, who took to social media to share the supermodel’s ethereal look.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Dr Naomi Campbell (@naomi)

“It is not a catwalk: this is a Naomi-walk with grace & gardens of bliss! The gorgeous beauty queen takes it to the next level! @Naomi, a complete stunner, in a #NicolasJebran custom couture gown as she attended the #kamaniwedding wedding yesterday!” wrote the designer to the stars.

Campbell herself posted three white heart emojis and: “My chosen family! Would not want to be anywhere else than with you on this day, TO WITNESS THIS BEAUTIFUL UNION OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE MR & MRS KAMANI @nadakamani @umarkamani WE LOVE YOU.”

The wedding was also attended by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Turki, the CEO of the Red Sea Film Festival Foundation. Other celebrity guests included former England international footballer Rio Ferdinand, fashion designer Manish Malhotra, singer Christina Milian, and Ronan and Stormy Keating.

Serenading the couple during the wedding ceremony was renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, who performed his rendition of “The Prayer,” accompanied by a full orchestra, as Adelle walked down the aisle.

Supermodel Campbell enjoys a huge fan base in the Arab world. She has also been romantically involved with individuals from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt.

Late last year, she was among was among the celebrities spotted on the red carpet at the Middle East and North Africa premiere of “The Absence of Eden,” on the third day of Jeddah’s Red Sea International Film Festival.

“I love what Red Sea has become and that it’s growing and growing and growing. And it’s really amazing and phenomenal what the team and Mo (Al-Turki) and Jomana (Al-Rashid) have created,” said Campbell in a video posted on festival’s Instagram page.

Her charitable organization, Fashion for Relief, also joined forces with Qatar Creates to launch a new global initiative called Emerge. The catwalk star co-hosted a charity gala and fashion show to support creatives and business talents around the world, with a focus on Africa, the diaspora and developing communities. 


Meet the Russian stylist living ‘blissfully’ in Saudi Arabia

Since her arrival, Margo Marsden has been documenting her experience of life in Saudi Arabia on social media. (Supplied)
Updated 04 May 2024
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Meet the Russian stylist living ‘blissfully’ in Saudi Arabia

  • “True to our expectations, we’ve found immense satisfaction living in Saudi Arabia. We consider it the best decision we’ve made for our family, and have no regrets.” Marsden, a professional stylist, told Arab News

RIYADH: Margo Marsden relocated to Saudi Arabia two years ago when her husband — a British oil and gas engineer — accepted a job in the Kingdom. Since her arrival, she has been documenting her experience of life in Saudi Arabia on social media. Her TikTok profile states she is a “Russian mother married to British father … living blissfully in Saudi Arabia.”

“True to our expectations, we’ve found immense satisfaction living in Saudi Arabia. We consider it the best decision we’ve made for our family, and have no regrets.” Marsden, a professional stylist, told Arab News. “Living here is incredibly invigorating; one can palpably sense the positive transformations taking place in the country, aligned with the ambitious Vision 2030 plan. In my view, Saudi Arabia stands as the premier destination for living in 2024.”

Marsden was born and raised in Kazakhstan before moving to Russia with her parents when she was 14 years old. She lived in several countries before relocating to Saudi Arabia, including Malaysia, Singapore, Italy, Turkiye, Lebanon, Thailand, the UK, and Norway.

Living here is incredibly invigorating; one can palpably sense the positive transformations taking place in the country, aligned with the ambitious Vision 2030 plan.

Margo Marsden, Russian stylist in KSA

Marsden had worked in Riyadh for a month in 2019 with fashion retailer Zara during Ramadan, and when her husband told her about his job offer, she was thrilled at the prospect of visiting the Kingdom again.

“I love it here, and I look forward to sharing my knowledge with local and expat women, to elevate their confidence and refine their fashion identity,” she said.

Marsden now has more than two decades of experience in the fashion industry. It’s a passion that began in her childhood, when she would meticulously craft outfits for her Barbie dolls with her mother’s guidance.

Marsden said she worked as a model — treading catwalks in Russia, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago, and Thailand — before moving into the business side of the industry, studying fashion design at Accademia Italiana in Bangkok and personal styling at the London College of Style. She has worked as a buyer, content creator and stylist.

“My artistic pursuits also extend behind the camera; I coordinated photoshoots for both personal and corporate clients,” she added.

As a stylist, she said, her main objective is “to enhance my client’s natural beauty and instill confidence in each customer I work with.” While Marsden doesn’t currently have any clients in the Kingdom, she is hoping to establish her own business eventually.

“I’m eager to offer my expertise to individuals keen on enhancing their appearance. Helping others look and feel their best is immensely fulfilling to me,” she added.

To follow Marsden’s journey in Saudi Arabia, visit her Instagram @margo.marsden.

 


Simi and Haze Khadra discuss the functional vision of their beauty brand and its Middle East launch

Updated 04 May 2024
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Simi and Haze Khadra discuss the functional vision of their beauty brand and its Middle East launch

DUBAI: US-Palestinian beauty entrepreneurs Simi and Haze Khadra this week went on tour in the Middle East to launch their brand, SimiHaze Beauty, in the region. Their travels included stops in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

While in the region, the sister duo — raised by Palestinian parents between Riyadh, London and Dubai —  shared insights about their brand with Arab News.

The 31-year-old identical twins, who are also DJs, said that they initially launched the brand out of “pure functionality,” creating products they wanted and needed in their own makeup routines. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Simi & Haze (@simihaze)

Every product they develop undergoes the same rigorous process of ensuring functionality, they said. 

“We are constantly thinking of new ideas and ways to make makeup easy and fun to apply,” Simi told Arab News. 

The pair launched their US-born cosmetics brand in 2021 with a range of stick-on makeup designs that can be placed on the face for a bold beauty look achievable within seconds. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Simi & Haze (@simihaze)

The sticker book features an array of edgy designs inspired by their favorite DJ looks from the past, such as chrome wings, neon negative space eyeliner and holographic cat-eyes. 

SimiHaze Beauty then expanded to include a range of products, such as lipsticks, bronzing powders, and a lifting mascara. 

Simi and Haze believe they were “actually late bloomers to the beauty world.” 

“We only started becoming interested in it when we were around 18,” Haze said. “We started SHB from just a single product we wanted but couldn’t find in the market, which is our Velvet Blur lipstick.

“We loved a matte lip for every day at the time but couldn’t find one that wasn’t drying, so we created it.” 

The twins developed an interest in eye makeup when they began DJ-ing.

“We weren’t the best at applying eyeliner, so again we just created our perfect solution which became the eye stickers,” Haze said.

To the sisters, launching the brand in the Middle East “felt so surreal.”

“The market has been such a huge goal of ours since we started because we grew up here,” Simi said. “We’re so happy that our products are finally accessible to our amazing followers here, because they have been such huge supporters since the beginning.

“Now people are finally able to really see and touch and feel the products, which is so important to us because you will never get the experience and vision of SHB unless you actually hold the product and feel the texture, curves, and ergonomics of it. The online experience doesn’t do it any justice.” 

The sisters said that they personally oversee the development of every product. They visit their lab in Italy for a few days at least twice a year to test and create new formulas.

“It takes a while and a lot of back and forth because after we create something it gets tested on our whole family from my grandma to my mom to my little sister and also all my friends with different skin tones,” Simi said.

“My friends are used to me calling them and saying: ‘Hi can I come over and try on some blush colors on you?’ So by the end of it we know what formulas and shades work best on the widest range of people.”

While visiting the Middle East, the sisters observed a prevailing trend in the region: skincare.

“I’ve seen so much good skin here and I can tell people really care about skincare here,” Haze said.

“We’ve also been increasingly obsessed with it. Our products are all infused with skin-loving ingredients, because we’re personally super-paranoid about anything that’s clogging or could cause irritation.”


Loli Bahia, Arab models walk Chanel cruise show in France

Updated 04 May 2024
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Loli Bahia, Arab models walk Chanel cruise show in France

DUBAI: French Algerian model Loli Bahia, British Moroccan Nora Attal, and part-Saudi Amira Al-Zuhair took to the runway at the Chanel Cruise 2024/2025 show in Marseille, France.

Bahia donned a green ensemble, composed of a knee-length pencil skirt paired with a matching top, layered over a white shirt boasting a hoodie collar.

Attal graced the runway in a white summery dress adorned with delicate sheer geometric prints, complemented by white slippers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial)

Her look also featured beach-inspired layered necklaces, a thin chain belt and chunky bracelets adorned with hat, ship anchors and Chanel logo pendants.

Meanwhile, Al-Zuhair sported a vibrant yellow ensemble featuring hot shorts paired with a button-down top and a coordinating cardigan.

She also wore a beige hat, a gold choker embellished with blue detailing, chunky earrings and a chain belt adorned with pendants.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial)

From intricate embroideries to dazzling sequined jackets and swimwear, Creative Director Virginie Viard’s latest collection showcased ensembles inspired by an underwater reverie.

The outfits included knee-length Bermuda shorts, high-waisted shorts, loose trapeze dresses, and large outerwear. Viard also demonstrated the power of layering, using shirt collars, French cuffs and jackets in unexpected ways throughout the collection.

Earlier this week, Chanel shared a series of images, captured by British photographer Jamie Hawkesworth, on Instagram featuring Bahia. The pictures, drawing inspiration from the seaside and scuba diving, provided an initial preview of Viard’s collection.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial)

Bahia showcased multiple ensembles from the collection in the photographs. In the first shot, she dazzled in a glitzy black sequined mini pencil skirt and blazer. Another image captured her wearing the green ensemble seen on the runway, with the hoodie of the white shirt covering her head.

Additionally, she was photographed donning a white one-piece swimsuit adorned with a black bow around the chest.

The photo series also featured Bahia in a variety of other outfits, including a vibrant white dress with colorful square-like designs, tailored shorts paired with a blazer, as well as a striped set featuring a full-length skirt and matching top.


Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj captures the culture of AlUla 

Updated 03 May 2024
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Moroccan photographer Hassan Hajjaj captures the culture of AlUla 

  • The acclaimed Moroccan photographer discusses his recent show in Saudi Arabia 

DUBAI: Early in February this year, Moroccan contemporary artist and photographer Hassan Hajjaj was given a reminder of just how high his star has risen. Within a few days of each other, Hajjaj had shows opening in the US, Morocco, and — as part of AlUla Arts Festival — Saudi Arabia. 

Hajjaj’s playful portraiture, which incorporates vivid color, funky clothing (almost all of which he designs himself), geometric patterns, and — often — vintage brands from the MENA region, has made him internationally popular, and his instantly recognizable style has established him as one of the world’s leading photographers. 

His show in AlUla consisted of images that he shot in the ancient oasis town in February 2023. That visit was initially supposed to involve shoots with around 20 local people. It’s the kind of thing he’s done a few times before, including in Oman and Abu Dhabi. “It’s always a good opportunity to get to know the culture and the people,” Hajjaj tells Arab News.  

But, as he says himself, he arrived in AlUla as “an outsider,” so needed a team on the ground to persuade locals to come and sit (or stand, in most cases) for him.  

“It was a bit tough, in the beginning, for them to find people,” Hajjaj explains. “But because it was during a period when lots of art things were happening in AlUla, there were lots of people coming from outside AlUla as well. So we opened it up. I basically said, ‘Just come.’ 

“In the end lots of people turned up, not just locals — people from Riyadh, Jeddah, and people (from overseas) too. I think I shot around 100 people over a few days. So it was a great opportunity,” he continues. “To get to shoot that many people over three days — organizing something like that for myself might take a year. So, as long as I have the energy, when I get these opportunities — you know, I’m in AlUla with this eclectic bunch of people — I’d rather go and grind it, really work hard, and have that moment.” 

A Hassan Hajjaj shoot isn’t your regular portrait shoot, of course. “It’s almost like a performance,” he says. “There’s music, people dress up, it’s like a day out for them, taking them out of themselves for a few hours.”  

He followed the same modus operandi in AlUla. “We got an ambience going. It was fun, there was music… I shot in this beautiful old school that was one of the first girls’ schools in Saudi Arabia, from the Sixties. Upstairs was like a museum — everything was like a standstill from the Seventies and Eighties; even the blackboards had the chalk and the writing from that time,” he says.  

Alicia and Swizz. (Supplied)

A crucial part of Hajjaj’s practice is to ensure that his subjects are at ease and feel some connection with him (“comfortable” is a word he uses several times when talking about his shoots). While all his portraits bear his clearly defined style, it’s important to him that they should also show something unique to the people in them. 

“It’s that old thing about capturing the spirit of the person in that split second, you know? I’m trying to get their personality and body language in the image,” he says. “Quite often I’m shooting in the street, outdoors, so (the subjects) can start looking at other people, thinking, ‘Are they looking at me?’ So I usually say, ‘Listen. This is a stage I’m building for you. I’m dressing you up, and we’re going to have fun.’ Then I just try and find that personality that can come out and make the image stronger. With some people, though, saying almost nothing can be better — just getting on with it. I try to kind of go invisible so it’s the camera, not the person, that’s doing the work. The best pictures come out when there’s some kind of comfortable moment between me and the person and the camera.” 

It’s the way he’s worked since the beginning — a process that developed organically, as most of his early portraits were of “friends or friends of friends.” 

Installation view. (AlUla Arts)

“There’s a comfort in that because you have a relationship with them. It made it easy,” he says. “And that taught me about how important it is to build trust with people to get into that comfortable zone. But as time went on, obviously, people could see the stuff in the press or on social media, so then people started, like, asking to be shot in that manner; maybe they’ve studied the poses of certain people and stuff like that, so they come ready to do some pose they’ve seen in my pictures. That’s quite funny.” 

The work that was on display over the past two months in Hajjaj’s “AlUla 1445” is a perfect example of what he tries to achieve with his shoots. The images are vibrant, playful, and soulful, and the subjects run from a local goatherder through the AlUla football team to bona fide superstars: the US singer-songwriter Alicia Keys and her husband Swizz Beatz.  

Hajjaj says he has a number of favorites “for different reasons,” including the goatherder.  

AlUla F.C. (Supplied)

“He brought in two goats and it became quite abstract when you put all of them together. I was playing with that notion of the person; you could see that’s his life and even the goats look happy,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure they had that shine in the image as well. I got some great shots of him.” 

The Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz shoot has been a long time in the making. Hajjaj first met Swizz Beatz a decade ago, and they have been in touch intermittently ever since. The idea of a shoot with Keys first came up about five years ago, but logistics had always got in the way. But since they were playing a concert in AlUla at the same time as Hajjaj was there, it finally happened, on Hajjaj’s last day, with perhaps an hour left before the light faded.  

I ask Hajjaj if his approach to shooting celebrities differs from his shots of “ordinary” people.  

Hand On Heart. (Supplied)

“There’s probably not that much difference,” he says. “They’re coming into my world, so, again, it’s just making sure they’re comfortable with you and you’re comfortable with them; not looking at them (as celebrities). The only thing is you have to imagine they’ve been shot thousands of times — by top photographers, too — so they’re going to have their ways. So I just have to lock in with them and find that comfortable space between the sitter and me.”  

And then there’s Ghadi Al-Sharif.  

“It’s a beautiful picture. She’s got this smile, with her hand over her face. For me, that one really presents the light and the energy of AlUla,” Hajjaj says. “It captures the new generation.”