Saint Levant

Marwan Abdelhamid (; born October 6, 2000), known professionally as Saint Levant (; ), is a Palestinian singer-songwriter and rapper. A multilingual artist, he became known for his 2022 song "Very Few Friends". 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 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. He has a younger brother, named Khaled. He has described the time spent in Gaza as "the best years of life".

Abdelhamid took up the passion for music from his father and his maternal grandmother, studying piano and saxophone.

In 2018, aged 17, 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.

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. 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.

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. using his performance to bring awareness to the ongoing war taking place in Gaza. 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.

On February 14, 2025, on the occasion of Saint Valentine's Day, Saint Levant released the EP Love Letters / , divided between a "side A" (Love Letters from Saint Levant) and a "side B" , and featuring three unreleased tracks out of six. A deluxe edition of the album was released on August 22, 2025, featuring four bonus tracks which included three collaborations with North African artistsnamely Tunisian rapper Nordo, Egyptian mahraganat singer Fares Sokkar, and Algerian band Babylone.

Following the release of the singles "Sabah El Ward" and "Nano", 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. On August 21, 2026, Saint Levant released his second studio album, Afandi / , 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" with Mohammed Assaf. The release is accompanied by a world tour originally scheduled between August and December 2026;

Other ventures

In May 2023, Saint Levant was chosen as Dior's first fragrance ambassador in the Middle East.

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.

In July 2025, cosmetics brand Huda Beauty launched a new shade and scent of lip oil in partnership with Saint Levant, named "Kalamantina" (, ) after a track from his latest album.

In June 2026, Abdelhamid became Prada's first Palestinian brand ambassador, for the 2027 spring/summer season.

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.

Early in his career, Abdelhamid co-founded GrowHome, which connects Palestinian entrepreneurs with individuals who can help fund their projects. In early 2026, the foundation launched the $5,000 Loubani Grants, destined to 40 Palestinian artists.

Saint Levant is outspoken on the struggle in Palestine, telling Harper's Bazaar:

Abdelhamid identifies as having a feminist upbringing, with much of his early social media content focusing on women's rights. 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; In response, Kattan chose to instead donate 100% of the campaign proceeds to Doctors Without Borders for their work in Gaza.

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.

Personal life Abdelhamid is a Muslim. He lives in Los Angeles, though he regularly returns to Amman. the couple announced their breakup via Instagram on September 25, 2025.

Discography

Albums Deira (2024) Afandi / (2026)

EPs From Gaza, with Love (2023) Love Letters / (2025)

Tours

Deira Tour (2024)