Yasmine Hamdan on the Spotifyification of Music, the Diaspora Experience & Finding Her Center

In the lead up to her performance at Tamaas Festival on January 29, musician Yasmine Hamdan joins Mikey Muhanna on The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi Podcast to discuss her return to music after a significant hiatus. Yasmine, who's considered an icon of music for a generation of Arab listeners, explains that her time away was essential for reconnecting with her purpose, moving beyond career strategy, and focusing on the core of her art. She tells us about the emotional and political factors that contributed to her needing a break, including the theft of Lebanese people's money and the Beirut Port explosion. She addresses the current challenges in the music world, citing the "Spotifyification of music" and the burden of uncompensated, invisible work (like being your own an agent and promoter) that artists are now required to take on. She also shares her creative process for the new album "I remember I forget", which she feels speaks to the diaspora experience, and the vital role of trusted collaborators, whose feedback gave her the energy to finish the record. The discussion also touches on the importance of maintaining a comfortable relationship with oneself while creating, her "rock and roll" experience performing at Tiny Desk, and her excitement about performing for the diaspora in Abu Dhabi with scenography collaborators Elias and Yousef Anastas from Radio Alhara and Wonder Cabinet.

Yasmine Hamdan is performing at The Arts Center as part of the Tamaas Festival on January 29. Get your tickets 👉 https://publicprograms.nyuad.nyu.edu/en/the-arts-center/events/2026/january/tamaas-festival.html

 

0:00 Introduction

2:05 Yasmine Hamdan's Comeback: Purpose Over Strategy

3:07 The Challenges of Today's Music World

4:44 The Invisible Work of Being an Artist Today

7:45 Emotional Reasons for Stepping Back

11:35 The Creative Process: Insecurities and Solitude

15:03 The Burden of Representation and Obsession

17:58 The Crucial Role of a Trusted Partner

20:37 Sharing Work: Fragility and Trust

23:23 Consistency and Finding Intention in Singing

26:54 Connecting With Audiences Beyond Language

29:20 The Universal Language of Music

31:09 The Tiny Desk Concert Experience

33:03 Performing for the Diaspora at Tamaas Festival

35:05 The Shift Away From Representation

39:32 Re-evaluating Needs and Finding Center

42:12 On Solitude, Scenes, and Being in the Margins

45:48 Future Collaborations and Artistic Languages

48:51 Excitement for Performing Live

 

Yasmine Hamdan first made waves in the music scene with the pioneering Beirut indie electronic duo Soapkills, which she co-founded with Zeid Hamdan in the late 1990s. Having moved to Paris in 2005, Yasmine collaborated with Madonna producer Mirwais for the Y.A.S. project, releasing the sleeky clubby Arabology album on Universal in 2009. Since then, she has earned international acclaim as a solo singer-songwriter and producer, elegantly entwining far-ranging elements, from pan-Arabic roots and pop and poetic lyrics, to electronica, soul and guitar melodies. Yasmine has collaborated with filmmakers such as Elia Suleiman, Jim Jarmusch, and has toured globally in support of her albums Ya Nass (2013) and Al Jamilat (2017). Her third album was released worldwide on Crammed Discs/ [PIAS].

Connect with Yasmine Hamdan 👉 https://instagram.com/yasminehamdan

 

Hosted by with Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://instagram.com/mikey_mu

Hosted by: Mikey Muhanna 👉 https://www.instagram.com/mikey_mu

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