Hamed Zane Sinno

Hamed Sinno was born on April 25, 1988, in Beirut, Lebanon, to a Lebanese father who had lived in the United States and a Jordanian mother. He holds American citizenship. Sinno grew up in an Anglophone household and attended the American Community School of Beirut, where he sang in the school choir. He did not receive formal musical training or learn to read music early in his life. While attending the American University of Beirut, Sinno came out as gay and began to experiment with graffiti as a means of self-expression. It was during his time at the university in 2008 that he co-founded the alternative rock band Mashrou’ Leila, responding to an open jam session call. Initially, his parents were hesitant about his pursuit of a music career due to concerns about financial stability and safety, given the band’s controversial reputation.

With Mashrou’ Leila, Sinno released several albums, including their self-titled debut in 2009, ‘El Hal Romancy’ (2011), ‘Raasük’ (2013), ‘Ibn El Leil’ (2015), and ‘The Beirut School’ (2019). The band gained significant recognition, becoming one of the largest in Lebanon and crowdfunded their way to international prominence. Sinno’s lyrics, often sung in Arabic, addressed various societal issues such as homophobia, political oppression, misogyny, and toxic masculinity. After Mashrou’ Leila disbanded in 2022, Sinno pursued further education, earning an MA in Digital Musics from Dartmouth College. He has since embarked on solo projects, including ‘Poems of Consumption’ (2023), which debuted at the Barbican Theater in London, and the full-length opera ‘Westerly Breath’ (2024), which premiered at the Met Museum in New York City. Sinno has also contributed essays to books like ‘This Arab Is Queer’ (2022) and ‘The Queer Arab Glossary’ (2024), solidifying his presence as a writer and intellectual alongside his musical career.