68 Quotes by Yasmine Hamdan

Back in Kuwait, I had started listening to a lot of English language music: western music, I would say - Kate Bush and Radiohead - and I loved Chet Baker, Etna James, a lot of singers and a lot of bands.

My family played a part in bringing communism to Lebanon.

Imagine a singer with the virtuosity of Joan Sutherland or Ella Fitzgerald, the public persona of Eleanor Roosevelt, and the audience of Elvis, and you have Umm Kulthum.

I don't relate to what is seen as 'Arab culture.' I relate to what I explore myself, what is around me.

Egyptians are quite incredible people. They have everything: the culture, the music, the scenes. So much of Arab music and art started there.

Because of the Lebanese civil war, I had a scattered childhood. I had to build my own connections to each country we moved to.

World music can be sometimes like the lumber room in which all the non-English singers are dumped. When you are singing in Arabic, no matter what your style of music or artistic proposition is, you are faced with some of that reality.

I sing in Arabic as a statement. It's art, and it's a challenge.

With Soapkills, we were lucky. We started at a time of transition where things were not ready, nothing was available.