Rapper Saint Levant held an amazing show at Coachella. The artist, of Palestinian, French, Algerian and Serbian descent didn’t just bring cool music to the festival, but also talked about supporting Palestine. Even though the band No Doubt was performing too, Saint Levant still gathered a huge crowd at the Gobi Tent. Fans wore keffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags, showing solidarity with Gaza.
The 23-year-old artist, whose real name is Marwan Abdelhamid, grew up in Gaza, then moved with his family to Jordan, and later settled in Los Angeles. He felt a strong connection to Gaza when he talked to the crowd at Coachella. “My name is Saint Levant, and I was born in Jerusalem and raised in Gaza.”
He also said, “I hope you all know that the people in Gaza have been suffering a lot, facing a very harsh situation for the last six months. And Palestinians have been living under a tough occupation for 75 years.” He shouted, “It’s not just me up here — it’s the whole Arab world up here,” showing that he represents a whole community fighting to make people aware and demand fairness for Palestine.
During his performance, Saint Levant sang some of his well-known songs and also some new ones like “Deira” and “5am in Paris,” which he released shortly before Coachella. The songs talk about being forced to leave your home and feeling like you don’t belong, which are experiences he knows well and are part of the Palestinian story. He said to the Coachella crowd, “It’s about exile. A feeling that us Palestinians know a bit too well.”
Saint Levant being at Coachella meant a lot to the people there. Yara Brenton, a 43-year-old festival-goer, said the experience was “incredible.” She thought it was important that Saint Levant spoke up for the Palestinian cause. Reflecting on how more people know about Palestine now, Brenton said, “There are a lot more people who know about Palestine today. And there’s no going back, I think, from this awareness.”
Saint Levant’s rise to fame is like other Palestinian artists, such as Elyanna, who performed at Coachella last year. Having them there not only makes music more diverse but also shows how art can make a difference and give voice to those who aren’t always heard.
