Hamed Sinno is the lead singer and lyricist of Mashrou’ Leila—the Beirut-based quintet that has crowdfunded its way to being the biggest indie pop band in the Arab world. Although Sinno says he has been known to spend weeks “on the couch binge-watching horrible television with the sole purpose of avoiding dealing with life, ” Mashrou’ Leila’s music very much suggests that he spends most of his time doing the opposite. Lyrics—sung in Arabic—on the band’s latest album, Ibn El This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty Buy Now Related Stories Music Issue 50 Caroline Polachek “The thing that eats at me a little bit is how subjective my music is.... You can’t get away from ‘Caroline Polachek.’” Music Issue 49 Tove Lo The pop star reflects on the big feelings behind her biggest hits. Music Issue 46 Lil Silva A superstar collaborator steps into the spotlight. Arts & Culture Films Music Issue 42 Peer Review Iranian artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat pays homage to the iconic Egyptian singer Oum Kulthum. Music Issue 38 Rina Sawayama In London, Stephanie Phillips takes a tour around the sweet, strange galaxy of glitter pop sensation Rina Sawayama. Music Issue 38 Eric Nam A reeducation in K-pop from one of its brightest stars.
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