Mashrou’ Leila (Arabic: مشروع ليلى) were a four piece indie rock band base… Read Full Bio ↴Mashrou’ Leila (Arabic: مشروع ليلى) were a four piece indie rock band based in Beirut. Their rousing, sensual electro- pop anthems about political freedoms, LGBT rights, race, religion and modern Arabic identity have challenged the status quo of the Middle-Eastern music industry. The loose collective of students who began jamming together in 2008 at the American University of Beirut has gradually focused into a an ambitious, fiercely articulate quartet: vocalist/lyricist Hamed Sinno, guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Firas Abou Fakher, violinist Haig Papazian, and drummer Carl Gerges. And the music they make has focused, too, into a charged, atmospheric version of pop that is geographically impossible to place. The lyrics draw on their collective experiences, which the band shares with the youth of the Middle East, and addresses the need for self-expression and a judgment free culture— a notion often stifled in a conservative society. Through their relevant and charged lyrics, their music has resonated with fans all over the globe, gaining international recognition for the band. They have been described as ‘The voice of their generation’ (CNN), ’the most successful Arabic-language band internationally’ (The Guardian) and “the new face of Middle Eastern pop music” (Dazed).
You can hear Leila, cascading melts of masculine vocals only suspended with thrusts of violin, beats and bass – attacked by neurotic melody that means no harm – sometimes tender, even sometimes on pause. Through the music, you can smell where Leila has been, in bed sheets, on sidewalks, jasmines in rifles and spilled coffee on dresses as she made you play with aubergines, dancing her dance. Music has constantly been their place to play with things, to match and mis-match, a project.
In the various performances, Mashrouʼ Leila is a constant attempt to taste and produce, more than happy to harvest anyone from the audience as a guest in their encores. They have performed around Lebanon since 2008, playing in various venues in Beirut, taking over supposed public piazzas as well as clubs, pubs, hybrids and the such – they also played in Zahle, Sour, Jounieh, Saida and Deir el Qamar, each of which pushed forward their thinking about how to go about their music, lyrics and performance. It is only when Mashrouʼ Leila goes live, that you can actually catch a glimpse of Leila. As it talks to you of Beirut, the city that tastes of the absurd, the product of its day-to-day experiences, its stubborn security and lack of the latter, its musical bombshells, incoherent sexuality and thrusting pleasure…narcotic pain – as it brings forward hints of Arabic Tarab, rock, to folk pop, electro, you can see Leila in every man and woman in the silent- come-raving audience. In this trajectory, they participated in music workshops and concerts in Amman and Cairo to maneuver their way into a pan-Arab music scene, to know and to announce, more importantly to grow, musically.
In March 2009, Mashrouʼ Leila won the Lebanese Modern Music Contest jury prize and public vote organized by Radio Liban in partnership with CCF, Incognito and the Basement. They released their debut album in December 2009 at what turned out to be Beirut’s biggest alternative (read non-mainstream) event in recent years.
The months leading up to the Arab Spring proved fruitful for Leila as well. In July 2010, Mashrou’ Leila headlined Byblos International Music festival alongside the Gorillaz and Caetano Veloso; this was the first time a Lebanese band was given a headlining post in the festival and proved to be Mashrou’ Leila’s biggest concert yet. Fall of 2010-11 saw Leila pack up her suitcases with shows in Qatar at the Doha Tribeca International Film Festival and at the Vodafone Big Day Out, headlining alongside Hoobastank and Toploader, in the United Arab Emirates at the Du World Music Festival and the Music Room – Dubai’s leading live music venue and in Egypt where the live at the Genaina Theater show saw a sold out crowd with people gathering outside the venue premises for a peek.
In the summer of 2011, Mashrou’ Leila released "el Hal Romancy" E.P., five songs of new material recorded in mountain retreats with cousins and turkish coffee, in the abandoned concrete dome in the Tripoli world Fair and with a quintet of strings on cold winter nights. The release was held at the Hippodrome of Beirut. Mashrou’ Leila also added Serbia and Jordan to the map, with a spot in the 4 day prestigious Exit Festival in Serbia and a 2 night show at the Citadel in Jordan.
After two years, one spent writing the other spent producing, one crowd funding campaign, touring and gigging all around, Mashrou’ Leila released their 3rd Album “Raasük” on 27 August, 2013, recorded at the mighty Hotel 2 Tango in Montreal.
The first hint of new material arrived when the band started a campaign asking the members of their social media pages to submit lyrics and video ideas to be incorporated in the band's upcoming single. "3 Minutes" was released on March 17, 2015.
Contrary to their common method of writing and producing songs, the band decided not to test their new material in live concerts, opting instead for secrecy and mystery about their fourth album. The band recorded the 13 tracks in studio La Frette in France over the summer with French-Lebanese producer Samy Osta, and worked on orchestral and brass arrangements with the Macedonian Radio Orchestra in F.A.M.E's Studios in Macedonia. The band has said that this album is their most pop album to date, and deals with topics that range from the euphoric to the destructive and depressive, all taking place in the politically, socially, and sexually charged spaces of Beirut's night.
The band experimented with drum machines, loops, samples, and several synthesizers in a new method of composition, trying to accommodate for the departure of keyboard player Omaya Malaeb. "Maghawir" narrates a possible version of a club shooting in Beirut, drawing on references to real Lebanese case histories from two different shootings that took place within the same week, both of which resulted in the deaths of extremely young victims, each of who was out celebrating their birthday." During a show in Boston, the band explained that the song "Tayf (Ghost)" is about a shuttered gay club, and "Bint Elkhandaq" tells the story of a friend who learned, "as hard as it is to be a woman in Beirut, it’s just as hard to be brown in the West."
The album is heavily loaded with allusions and references, both to contemporary figures of pop, and to mythological figures of gods and demons.
On the November 28, the band released Ibn El Leil at the Barbican in London with live broadcasting on MTV Lebanon available to the entire world to positive reviews. "In the seven years since Mashrou’ Leila formed at the American University of Beirut, the quintet – whose name, in fact, means 'overnight project' – have won comparisons to everyone from Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead to Roxy Music and Wild Beasts."
On December 1, Ibn El Leil debuted at the number one spot on local iTunes channels, and charted as number 11 on the international world Billboard charts. "It’s such an impressive performance that stadiums seem not only possible but imminent."
The band released a music video for their single "Roman" on July 19, 2017. The single was included on the deluxe version of Ibn El Leil released July 21, 2017.
On February 8, 2019, Mashrou' Leila released a new single, "Cavalry", the first from their upcoming album The Beirut School. The Beirut School was released on March 1, 2019. The album includes some songs from the group's previous album. The group toured North America in 2019 in support of the album.
On Aug. 9, 2019, the band was set to perform at the Byblos International Festival. The concert was banned against the backdrop of widespread rejection and accusation that the lyrics of one of the group’s songs offend the Christian faith.
In September 2022, Sinno announced that the band would be disbanding. Sinno cited harassment and hate campaigns as a reason for the band breaking up, especially because of Mashrou’ Leila’s hardships with bans in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. The real reason for restrictions on the band is his declared gender identity, as he defines himself as being queer — something that he believes was behind the attacks on the musical group and their work over the past years.
Many of the group’s songs touch on the issue of homosexuality, namely the 2009 song “Sham El Yasmine,” which speaks of a forbidden relationship and love between two men, and their struggle to lead normal lives together. The band also produced several songs addressing social and political topics in unconventional ways. The group members also touched on love, marriage, sex, religion, emancipation, the reality of Arab cities and revolutions, political assassinations and other thorny issues in the Arab world.
www.mashrou3leila.com
You can hear Leila, cascading melts of masculine vocals only suspended with thrusts of violin, beats and bass – attacked by neurotic melody that means no harm – sometimes tender, even sometimes on pause. Through the music, you can smell where Leila has been, in bed sheets, on sidewalks, jasmines in rifles and spilled coffee on dresses as she made you play with aubergines, dancing her dance. Music has constantly been their place to play with things, to match and mis-match, a project.
In the various performances, Mashrouʼ Leila is a constant attempt to taste and produce, more than happy to harvest anyone from the audience as a guest in their encores. They have performed around Lebanon since 2008, playing in various venues in Beirut, taking over supposed public piazzas as well as clubs, pubs, hybrids and the such – they also played in Zahle, Sour, Jounieh, Saida and Deir el Qamar, each of which pushed forward their thinking about how to go about their music, lyrics and performance. It is only when Mashrouʼ Leila goes live, that you can actually catch a glimpse of Leila. As it talks to you of Beirut, the city that tastes of the absurd, the product of its day-to-day experiences, its stubborn security and lack of the latter, its musical bombshells, incoherent sexuality and thrusting pleasure…narcotic pain – as it brings forward hints of Arabic Tarab, rock, to folk pop, electro, you can see Leila in every man and woman in the silent- come-raving audience. In this trajectory, they participated in music workshops and concerts in Amman and Cairo to maneuver their way into a pan-Arab music scene, to know and to announce, more importantly to grow, musically.
In March 2009, Mashrouʼ Leila won the Lebanese Modern Music Contest jury prize and public vote organized by Radio Liban in partnership with CCF, Incognito and the Basement. They released their debut album in December 2009 at what turned out to be Beirut’s biggest alternative (read non-mainstream) event in recent years.
The months leading up to the Arab Spring proved fruitful for Leila as well. In July 2010, Mashrou’ Leila headlined Byblos International Music festival alongside the Gorillaz and Caetano Veloso; this was the first time a Lebanese band was given a headlining post in the festival and proved to be Mashrou’ Leila’s biggest concert yet. Fall of 2010-11 saw Leila pack up her suitcases with shows in Qatar at the Doha Tribeca International Film Festival and at the Vodafone Big Day Out, headlining alongside Hoobastank and Toploader, in the United Arab Emirates at the Du World Music Festival and the Music Room – Dubai’s leading live music venue and in Egypt where the live at the Genaina Theater show saw a sold out crowd with people gathering outside the venue premises for a peek.
In the summer of 2011, Mashrou’ Leila released "el Hal Romancy" E.P., five songs of new material recorded in mountain retreats with cousins and turkish coffee, in the abandoned concrete dome in the Tripoli world Fair and with a quintet of strings on cold winter nights. The release was held at the Hippodrome of Beirut. Mashrou’ Leila also added Serbia and Jordan to the map, with a spot in the 4 day prestigious Exit Festival in Serbia and a 2 night show at the Citadel in Jordan.
After two years, one spent writing the other spent producing, one crowd funding campaign, touring and gigging all around, Mashrou’ Leila released their 3rd Album “Raasük” on 27 August, 2013, recorded at the mighty Hotel 2 Tango in Montreal.
The first hint of new material arrived when the band started a campaign asking the members of their social media pages to submit lyrics and video ideas to be incorporated in the band's upcoming single. "3 Minutes" was released on March 17, 2015.
Contrary to their common method of writing and producing songs, the band decided not to test their new material in live concerts, opting instead for secrecy and mystery about their fourth album. The band recorded the 13 tracks in studio La Frette in France over the summer with French-Lebanese producer Samy Osta, and worked on orchestral and brass arrangements with the Macedonian Radio Orchestra in F.A.M.E's Studios in Macedonia. The band has said that this album is their most pop album to date, and deals with topics that range from the euphoric to the destructive and depressive, all taking place in the politically, socially, and sexually charged spaces of Beirut's night.
The band experimented with drum machines, loops, samples, and several synthesizers in a new method of composition, trying to accommodate for the departure of keyboard player Omaya Malaeb. "Maghawir" narrates a possible version of a club shooting in Beirut, drawing on references to real Lebanese case histories from two different shootings that took place within the same week, both of which resulted in the deaths of extremely young victims, each of who was out celebrating their birthday." During a show in Boston, the band explained that the song "Tayf (Ghost)" is about a shuttered gay club, and "Bint Elkhandaq" tells the story of a friend who learned, "as hard as it is to be a woman in Beirut, it’s just as hard to be brown in the West."
The album is heavily loaded with allusions and references, both to contemporary figures of pop, and to mythological figures of gods and demons.
On the November 28, the band released Ibn El Leil at the Barbican in London with live broadcasting on MTV Lebanon available to the entire world to positive reviews. "In the seven years since Mashrou’ Leila formed at the American University of Beirut, the quintet – whose name, in fact, means 'overnight project' – have won comparisons to everyone from Arctic Monkeys and Radiohead to Roxy Music and Wild Beasts."
On December 1, Ibn El Leil debuted at the number one spot on local iTunes channels, and charted as number 11 on the international world Billboard charts. "It’s such an impressive performance that stadiums seem not only possible but imminent."
The band released a music video for their single "Roman" on July 19, 2017. The single was included on the deluxe version of Ibn El Leil released July 21, 2017.
On February 8, 2019, Mashrou' Leila released a new single, "Cavalry", the first from their upcoming album The Beirut School. The Beirut School was released on March 1, 2019. The album includes some songs from the group's previous album. The group toured North America in 2019 in support of the album.
On Aug. 9, 2019, the band was set to perform at the Byblos International Festival. The concert was banned against the backdrop of widespread rejection and accusation that the lyrics of one of the group’s songs offend the Christian faith.
In September 2022, Sinno announced that the band would be disbanding. Sinno cited harassment and hate campaigns as a reason for the band breaking up, especially because of Mashrou’ Leila’s hardships with bans in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. The real reason for restrictions on the band is his declared gender identity, as he defines himself as being queer — something that he believes was behind the attacks on the musical group and their work over the past years.
Many of the group’s songs touch on the issue of homosexuality, namely the 2009 song “Sham El Yasmine,” which speaks of a forbidden relationship and love between two men, and their struggle to lead normal lives together. The band also produced several songs addressing social and political topics in unconventional ways. The group members also touched on love, marriage, sex, religion, emancipation, the reality of Arab cities and revolutions, political assassinations and other thorny issues in the Arab world.
www.mashrou3leila.com
Radio Romance
Mashrou' Leila Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
صعبان عليّ يا زمان
أسامح سنين الحرمان
خلاص هوانهم كان زمان
يا اللي إنت حصتي بالدنيا
العمر قبلك ضاع سُدى
يا مبرر عمري بالهوى
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
حبيبي حرّرني من جهلي
عوض لي سنيني اللي فاتتني
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
صعبان عليّ يا زمان
أسامح سنين الحرمان
خلاص هوانهم كان زمان
يا اللي إنت حصتي بالدنيا
العمر قبلك ضاع سُدى
يا مبرر عمري بالهوى
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
حبيبي حرّرني من جهلي
عوض لي سنيني اللي فاتتني
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
نفخ الحب بصدري
The lyrics of Mashrou' Leila's song Radio Romance are about a passionate and intense love. The singer is expressing the feeling of being touched and the explosive excitement that love brings. The chorus "بَيِّنَّما كُونَ عَ جَسَمِي وِينَ ما إِيدَك بِتَلْمِسَّنِي" ("While I'm on your body, wherever your hand touches me") emphasizes the physicality of the relationship, but also the sense of being completely consumed by the other person. The sudden realization that the world has taken something from them, accompanied by the pleading phrase "يَا الَّلي أَخَذَتَّهُ مِنِّي رَبِّي" ("Oh, you who took it from me, my lord"), adds a deeper layer of emotion to the song.
The second verse, "صَعْبان عَليّ يا زَمان أَسَامِح سِنِين الحُرْمَان خَلَصْ هُوَانَهُم كَانَ زمان" ("Oh times, it's hard for me to forgive the years of deprivation. Enough, their disgrace was in the past"), refers to a previous period of suffering and deprivation that the singer is trying to forget. The bridge, "حَبِيبَيْ حَرَرَّنِي مِنْ جَهْلِي عَوَّضِ لِيّ سِنِينِي اللي فَاتَتْنِي" ("My love, free me from my ignorance, compensate me for my lost years"), highlights the transformative power of love and the sense of redemption and liberation it brings.
Line by Line Meaning
بْيِنما كون ع جسمي
As you touch my body
وين ما إيدك بتلمسني
Wherever your hands touch me
وفجأة الدنيا بترد لي
And suddenly the world responds to me
يا اللي أخذته مني ربي
Oh, you who my Lord has taken from me
نفخ الحب بصدري
Love inflates in my chest
صعبان عليّ يا زمان
The times are hard on me
أسامح سنين الحرمان
I forgive the years of deprivation
خلاص هوانهم كان زمان
Their humiliation was in the past
يا اللي إنت حصتي بالدنيا
Oh, you who are my share in this world
العمر قبلك ضاع سُدى
Life before you was wasted in vain
يا مبرر عمري بالهوى
Oh, the excuse for my life through love
حبيبي حرّرني من جهلي
My beloved, free me from my ignorance
عوض لي سنيني اللي فاتتني
Compensate me for the years I have lost
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@Mega2Sakaura
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
O' time! It is hard for me
To forgive the times of deprivation
That’s it, shame is in the past
You, the one I got in this world
The years before you were bland
Your love justifies my existence
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
My beloved
Free me of my ignorance
Compensate
The years that have past me
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
A universe grows on my body
Where your hand touches me
And suddenly life gives me back
All that it has taken from me
My god
He blew love in my chest
@darkstar9564
مشروع ليلى انتهى 💔 خبر عبارة عن صدمة ، ستظلون دائما في القلب شكرا للأغاني والمعاني الجميلة التي زرعتوها فينا ♡
@Kani.yousif
منو قال؟
@WinterX20
@김 카 니Kim Kani حمد
@ftr8982
الله يبشرك بالخير
@EissaDelRey
@Ftr898'' تقلع طيب
@ftr8982
@Quietteish T وش تقلع تراهم يدعمون المثليين!!
@eddieflack6590
I’m a black man from Virginia and your music transcends everything I know. This is pure art.
@dimitricariou
To those who never been there, the animation takes place in Gemayzeh/Mar mikhael, a very old street in Beirut where you can find street art, bars and small shops. It’s a very paradoxal place where love and danger are mixed beautifully. I used to make out with my dates on the street because I couldn’t do it at home (my parents or my dates’ parents would have stopped us). الحب مقاومة
@footiepajamas101
thank you so much for this incredible detail. peace and safety xoxo
@momobbdd
😑 ماشاء الله على الانحلال