Before commercial success, at age 17 Tamino trained vocally at the Amsterdam Royal Conservatory.
In November 2016, Tamino was invited by Belgian band Het Zesde Metaal to play a Radio 1 session. His first single, Habibi, made an impression and he was immediately picked up by Radio 1.
In 2017, Tamino won a new musical talent competition at Studio Brussels. On 11 October 2017 he played in the Ancienne Belgique (Brussels) where he was nicknamed 'the Belgian Jeff Buckley'. He has also played at Palais 12 (Brussels) and during the Flemish Music Industry Awards and the Melkweg in Amsterdam. During the summer of 2017, he was featured in festivals across Belgium and the Netherlands such as Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop.
In the summer of 2018 Tamino performed in festivals across Europe including Rock en Seine (Paris). On 19 October 2018 Tamino released his first full-length album Amir (Arts & Crafts/Communion). At the end of October, he played three sold-out shows at the Ancienne Belgique as part of a European headline tour. On 8 November 2018 he performed in Iceland at Iceland Airwaves.
Tamino was featured in Live Nation's Ones To Watch, which spoke of Tamino's voice saying his "falsetto surpasses 'face melting' and rises to a space of pureness that can only be described as divine." He recently announced his first headline stadium show in November 2019 at the Lotto Arena.
In 2019, Tamino played four shows at SXSW, his first ever North American shows where he shared the live version of his single "Indigo Night", with Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood. On 10 May, Tamino released his live EP titled Live at Ancienne Belgique. Following SXSW he returned to Europe for a tour across the continent, including France, Great Britain, Germany, and the Sziget Festival in Budapest.
Tamino has also been featured in the fashion world and alongside supermodel Gisele Bündchen in Missoni's SS19 Collection. During Paris Fashion week he was featured "in conversation" with Maison Valentino and performed a solo version of "Indigo Night". He has been featured in Vogue Hommes' March 2019 14-page spread which was photographed by critically lauded photographer Paolo Roversi.
On 19 October 2018 Tamino released his first full-length album Amir. Throughout the album, Tamino is joined by a collective of Arabic musicians based in Brussels called Nagham Zikrayat, an orchestra predominantly made up of professional musicians from the Middle East, most of whom are refugees that fled Iraq and Syria.
The BBC hailed Amir as "The New Sound Of The Nile" an ode to Tamino's grandfather Muharram Fouad. The Independent included Amir in their top 10 albums of 2018. Tamino won the Anchor Award at Germany's 2018 Reeperbahn festival and has been nominated for 5 MIA Award's in Belgium.
HABIBI
Tamino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Brings desire from the deep
And with it comes a burning light
To keep us from our sleep
And as the full star tries his best to make the white pearl shine
Glances of a new day have arrived
And though he's not alone, he fears to never love another
Haa-aah
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
As I am yearning
Something died within a soul
Left the eyes to rust
And every time it is recalled
It covers all in dust
Haa-aah
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
As I am yearning
And meanwhile, a whole lot goes down
Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while
You loved it then, so did I
A feeling deep inside you wants to love it all again
Now don't leave it there, just give it a chance
If only I'd forget you after one last dance
But you're everywhere, yes you are
In every melody and in every little scar
Ah yes you are, you are
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
And I am yearning
The song "Habibi" by Tamino begins with the idea that there is always something hidden in the night that brings desire and passion. This something comes with a burning light that keeps us awake and prevents us from sleeping. The second verse is about a man who is afraid of loving another person and leaving his heart with them forever. He fears he will never fall in love again. The chorus, "Habibi, light is burning as I am burning, habibi, light is burning as I am yearning" shows his intense longing and desire for his lover.
Line by Line Meaning
Something hides in every night
Every night holds a hidden desire that emerges from deep within us
Brings desire from the deep
This desire arises from the depths of our soul
And with it comes a burning light
A passion ignites that burns bright
To keep us from our sleep
It keeps us awake, restless and longing
And as the full star tries his best to make the white pearl shine
The sun rises high, trying to bring light to the darkness of the night
Glances of a new day have arrived
A new day has dawned, full of new possibilities
And though he's not alone, he fears to never love another
Even though he is not alone, he worries that he may never be able to love anyone else
And leave his heart forever with her smile
Her smile has captured his heart forever
Habibi, light is burning
My love, the passion is burning within me
As I am burning
I am overwhelmed with emotions and desire
Habibi, light is burning
My love, the passion is burning within me
As I am yearning
I am longing for something that I can't have
Something died within a soul
A part of someone's soul has died
Left the eyes to rust
Their eyes have dulled over time
And every time it is recalled
Whenever they remember it
It covers all in dust
It reminds them of something that has been lost and makes them feel hopeless
And meanwhile, a whole lot goes down
Meanwhile, a lot of things are happening
Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while
Once upon a time, we were together in the darkness
You loved it then, so did I
We both enjoyed it back then
A feeling deep inside you wants to love it all again
There is a longing within you to feel that way again
Now don't leave it there, just give it a chance
Don't let it go, give it another try
If only I'd forget you after one last dance
If only I could forget you after one last time together
But you're everywhere, yes you are
But you are everywhere, in every thing and every moment
In every melody and in every little scar
You are in every song and in every wound
Habibi, light is burning
My love, the passion is burning within me
As I am burning
I am overwhelmed with emotions and desire
Habibi, light is burning
My love, the passion is burning within me
And I am yearning
I am longing for something that I can't have
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Tamino Moharam Fouad
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@beyzaltintas1
Something hides in every night
Brings desire from the deep
And with it comes a burning light
To keep us from our sleep
And as the full star tries his best to make the white pearl shine
Glances of a new day have arrived
And though he’s not alone, he fears to never love another
And leave his heart forever with her smile
Haa-aah
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
As I am yearning
Something died within a soul
Left the eyes to rust
And every time it is recalled
It covers all in dust
Haa-aah
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
As I am yearning
And meanwhile, a whole lot goes down
Somewhere in the darkness, us together for a while
You loved it then, so did I
A feeling deep inside you wants to love it all again
Now don’t leave it there, just give it a chance
If only I’d forget you after one last dance
But you’re everywhere, yes you are
In every melody and in every little scar
Yes you are, you are, love
Habibi, light is burning
As I am burning
Habibi, light is burning
And I am yearning
@alegarrido8504
I'm sure he left his soul in that song
@kendoclaw1668
your comment gave me goosebumps !!
@nostalgia-mj1ni
Yes!💔😟
@EcemYldz
reallllly
@idek9276
He did
@isabelsegunda342
I totally agree.
@smars96
I saw him live in London last week. Life did not feel real after leaving the theatre, it was the most beautiful and surreal experience ever. I love him so much! He sounded exactly the same, incredible :)
@i_have_no_enemies0
:')
@hauntinghaze5161
How was it for a ticket
@nathalymateo
@Haunting Haze In Boston, it was cheap considering the goosebumps you get in that concert.