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A chat with Mashrou’ Leila lead singer Hamed Sinno

Gay-fronted Middle Eastern band ready for D.C. debut

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Mashrou' Leila, gay news, Washington Blade
Mashrou' Leila, gay news, Washington Blade

Mashrou’ Leila lead singer Hamed Sinno, second from left, says he’s never shied away from controversial lyrics. (Photo courtesy Hind Azennar)

Since its 2008 conception, Mashrou’ Leila have used their music to bring human rights issues, particularly LGBT rights, to the forefront.

The five-member group, gearing up for a sold-out show at the Hamilton on Monday, June 13, formed in Beirut, Lebanon at the American University of Beirut. Lead vocalist Hamed Sinno, 28, says the band members cite all different types of music as their inspiration. Their eclectic musical taste doesn’t just stop with music, but continues into their subject matter.

Sinno, who is gay, has written songs unheard of for a Middle Eastern band like “Shim el Yasmine,” a song about Sinno’s desire to introduce a man as his groom to his parents. Songs with that kind of content led to authorities in Jordan banning Mashrou’ Leila from performing in the country forever, but the ban was lifted a few days later.

Changing hearts and minds is no easy feat, but the group’s progressive views received validation when Lebanon became the first Middle Eastern country to declassify homosexuality as a disease in 2013.

Speaking with Washington Blade from Chicago, Sinno talked about being an out Arab, his personal connection to D.C., and his thoughts on Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON BLADE: When you started Mashrou’ Leila, was it your intention to become so political or did it just happen?

HAMED SINNO: To be honest, I think we’re just like that as people. From the very beginning we’re all just interested in politics, social theory and philosophy. I think also it’s part of what your early ‘20s is like for a lot of people. Essentially when you’re starting out you only know how to write about whatever organically comes to mind. You don’t sit down and say, “I want to write about subject X so I need to do my research and write about it.” It’s just writing about what you’re already thinking about. I guess typically like a lot of people in their early ‘20s, we were thinking about politics and looking for ideology and trying to understand the world around us.

BLADE: Did you ever expect drastic actions like being banned in Jordan?

SINNO: From Jordan in particular, no. From other places, yeah. Jordan has really advanced faster than other places in the region. So it was a little shocking.

BLADE: There are so few openly gay Arab artists out there that kind of by default you became a gay Arab icon. Do you ever feel pressured by that?

SINNO: The only pressure that comes out of that is when people get the impression that there is some sort of representation that needs to happen with that. That’s not really the way I see it. The way I see it is more non-heterosexuals or queer people need to find their place in history and the cultural perception in the region, but it can never become one of those issues where someone pretends to speak for other people. I find that completely off base. Which I guess is why the pressure doesn’t really affect me that much. I don’t pretend to speak for the queer community in any way other than being myself and doing my thing and asking me for what I deserve.

BLADE: Have you ever written a song and thought, “This song is too controversial maybe we shouldn’t release it?”

SINNO: No. At the end of the day it’s one thing to sing about certain subjects, but it’s another thing to take direct action. I think that barrier should never be forgotten. When we’re talking about songs, or any other art form, we’re really not talking about things that really do end up affecting things directly. It’s one thing to sing about women’s rights; it’s another thing to actually get women’s rights going. I’m not one to think that anything should or shouldn’t be said. Also, I don’t think we’ve touched on anything that’s like really that sensitive for us. We’ve never had that thing where we’re in the studio composing and stop and think, “Oh wait this is too risqué.” Whatever we write about it really standard for us.

BLADE: Do you follow American politics at all? What do you think of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign?

SINNO: What campaign? I don’t see a campaign. I just see a bigot.

BLADE: Have you ever been to D.C. before?

SINNO: I haven’t. I’ve heard lovely things about D.C. and I’m so excited to see it. My parents hung out there a lot because my mom was at George Washington University for school and met my dad in D.C.  But they have all these stories they told me when I was a kid, so it’s exciting to finally get to see it.

BLADE: What can people expect from your show?

SINNO: Just the same thing you can expect from any sort of Arabs in America. So basically Islamic Fundamentalists preaching and terror threats. No, honestly I just want people to have fun at our concerts and not be so simplistic about the Arab world. That would be great to feel like we’re not getting lumped into racial categories.

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Music & Concerts

Lana Del Rey, Katy Perry plan fall releases

A Fleetwood Mac live album, more Joni archives among vintage options

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Dolly Parton’s ‘Smoky Mountain DNA’ is slated for a Nov. 15 release. (Image courtesy Owepar Entertainment)

Paris Hilton released her “Infinite Icon” album on Sept. 6. It’s just the second effort following a massive hiatus — her debut album “Paris” was released way back in 2006. Sia produces. This summer’s “I’m Free” was the first single. A tour is planned. Hilton promised a “heavily gay-leaning release.”

Miranda Lambert’s “Postcards from Texas” is slated to drop today. Lambert’s 10th studio album was preceded by the May release of single “Wranglers,” which stalled in the lower 30s on country radio. Lambert calls the album a musical ode to her home state. She co-produces with Jon Randall and either wrote or co-wrote 10 of the project’s 14 cuts. 

Katy Perry’s “143” is set for a Sept. 20 release. It will be her seventh studio album. Its title refers to what she says is her symbolic angel number. Perry is aiming for a dance party feel working with producers Max Martin, Dr. Luke, Stargate, Vaughn Oliver and Rocco Did It Again! The proceedings are not off to a strong start. First single “Woman’s World” stalled at No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. Follow-up “Lifetimes” failed to crack the Hot 100 at all. 

Fleetwood Mac releases “Mirage Tour ’82” on Sept. 20. It includes six tracks previously unreleased including “Don’t Stop,” “Dreams,” “Never Going Back Again,” “Sara” and more. Available on double CD, triple vinyl and digitally.  

Volume four of Joni Mitchell’s “Archives” series dubbed “The Asylum Years: 1976-1980” releases Oct. 4. It’s being offered in six-CD or four-LP (highlights) configurations. It will feature unreleased studio sessions, alternate versions, live recordings, rarities and a 36-page book with new photos and an extensive conversation between Mitchell and filmmaker/uberfan Cameron Crowe. 

Sophie B. Hawkins releases her “Whaler Re-Emerging” album (a re-recording of her landmark 1994 album) on Oct. 15. Order through her site and the first 250 copies will be signed. Hawkins (who identifies as omnisexual) says it surpasses the original. 

Joe Jonas’s “Music for People Who Believe in Love” and Shawn Mendes’s “Shawn” are both set for Oct. 18 releases. Jonas’s album (his first solo effort since 2011’s “Fastlife”) will feature songwriting he says is of a more personal nature. Billboard called it “unvarnished” but with a shimmery pop sound aglow with garage rock and alt-pop influences. First single “Work It Out” was released over the summer and failed to chart. 

“Shawn” will be Mendes’s first album since 2020’s “Wonder,” the tour of which he cancelled citing mental health. Two singles — “Why Why Why” and “Isn’t That Enough” — have been released. The former stalled at no. 84 on the Hot 100. He has called the album his “most musically intimate and lyrically honest work to date.” 

Lana Del Rey’s “Lasso” is expected for a possible fall release, although some sources say it’s been bumped to early 2025. No date had been announced as of yet. She’s apparently going the Beyonce route and releasing a straight-up country album. 

Dolly Parton plans a Nov. 15 release for “Smoky Mountain DNA — Family, Faith & Fables.” Parton recruited family to help her on the 37 (!)-track collection, which will also encompass a four-part docuseries tracing Parton’s familial roots. One song (“A Rose Won’t Fix It”) is an outtake from the feverish writing sessions that led to her solid (but underrated) 1998 album “Hungry Again.” An extremely limited-edition triple vinyl release is also planned. 

Release dates shift and many more releases will be announced later. Pitchfork keeps a great running tab at pitchfork.com/news/new-album-releases. Also check your local record store for Black Friday special editions available on Friday, Nov. 29. Release info was scant as of this writing.  

(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)

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Music & Concerts

Fall concerts feature Sivan, Eilish, Lauper, more

Ndegeocello pays tribute to Baldwin at Strathmore next month

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Sigur Ros plays the Anthem this month. Frontman JONSI (center) is gay. (Photo by Chloe Kritharas; courtesy motormouthmedia)

Sigur Ros will be joined by the Wordless Music Orchestra at the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Wednesday, Sept. 25th. They’re continuing their 2023 tour in support of “Atta,” their first LP of original music in a decade. Frontman Jonsi is gay. Tickets are $60.50-173.50 for this seated show. 

Troye Sivan brings the “Sweat Tour” with Charli XCX (co-headlining) to Baltimore at the CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Thursday, Sept. 26th at 7:30 p.m. It’s sold out. The latter is touring behind her 2024 album “Brat.” The former is touring behind his 2023 album “Something to Give Each Other.” Sivan is gay and has performed at Capital Pride. 

Cyndi Lauper brings her “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Tickets range from $29-179. It’s her first solo arena stateside tour since her ’86-’87 “True Colors World Tour.” Lauper is a longtime and avid LGBTQ ally. 

St. Vincent brings her “All Born Screaming Tour” to the Anthem (901 Wharf St., S.W.) on Friday, Sept. 13th at 8 p.m. Tickets are $55-95. A Variety review called it “minimalist” and said “with no video screens, backup singers or sketches, and a lot of electric guitar, it’s the purest distillation of St. Vincent we’ve had on stage in quite a few years.” Anne Erin Clark (aka St. Vincent) doesn’t identify as anything sexually but has mostly dated women in recent years. 

Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming play Wolf Trap (1551 Trap Rd., Vienna, Va.) on Friday, Sept. 13 at 8 p.m. Individual sets are planned, but there will likely be a duet or two. Tickets are $29.

Out singer/songwriter Perfume Genius brings his “Too Bright 10th Anniversary Tour” to The Atlantis (2047 9th St., N.W.) on Monday, Sept. 16. This highly limited run will only play six dates in five cities. Mike Hadreas (aka Perfume Genius) will perform his 2014 album in its entirety. It’s sold out. 

Meghan Trainor brings “The Timeless Tour” to Jiffy Lube Live (7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristol, Va.) on Tuesday, Sept. 17th at 6:30 p.m. She’s touring behind her album of the same name released earlier this year. Tickets are $33-155. No lawn seats available for this show. 

Queer-affirming gospel singer Amy Grant (who also had a decent pop chart run in the ’90s) brings her fall tour to The Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. As she’s done on tour with previous re-releases, Grant could include more songs than usual from her 1994 “House of Love” album, which was just released in an expanded edition and on LP for the first time. Tickets are $95. 

Sara Bareilles, a self-described LGBTQ ally,  joins the NSO Pops for a three-night stint at the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Sept. 24-26 at 8 p.m. each night. It’s sold out. 

Billie Eilish brings her “Hit Me Hard and Soft: the Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) in Baltimore on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. Her album of the same name dropped in March. Although she’s mostly dated guys publicly, Eilish identifies as bi. It’s sold out. 

Queer artist Meshell Ndegeocello plays the Strathmore (5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda, Md.) on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 8 p.m. Her show is dubbed “No More Water: the Gospel of James Baldwin” and is billed as a tribute event to the legendary Black gay writer. A pre-concert event, “The Gospel of Meshell Ndegeocello” is free but advanced registration is required. Tickets for the concert are $28-74. 

Former Capital Pride headliner Betty Who (“queer/bi” herself) brings her “An Acoustic Evening in Celebration of 10 years of TMWYG” to the Lincoln Theatre (1215 U St., N.W.) on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $55. It’s a nod to her 2014 debut album “Take Me When You Go.” 

Justin Timberlake brings his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” to Capital One Arena (601 F St., N.W.) on Sunday, Oct. 13. This seventh headlining concert tour (and first in five years) supports his 2024 sixth album “Everything I Thought it Was.” Reviews for the tour have been strong; the setlist looks career-spanning and generous. It’s sold out. 

Gay-helmed Pink Martini with China Forbes and Ari Shapiro plays the Kennedy Center (2700 F St., N.W.) on Monday, Oct. 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $40-80. 

’80s pop sensation Debbie Gibson brings her “Acoustic Youth: Songs & Stories from Electric Youth Era” to the Birchmere (3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, Va.) on Wednesday, Oct. 16. Tickets are $59.50. Gibson is celebrating her 1989 album “Electric Youth,” her second. She’ll accompany herself on piano playing the songs “the way I first wrote them.” 

DJ/producer Diplo, who says he’s “not not gay,” plays Echostage (2135 Queens Chapel Road, N.E.) on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 9 p.m. Walker and Royce join. Tickets are $60. 

Motown diva Diana Ross brings her “Beautiful Love Performances Legacy Tour” to MGM National Harbor (101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill, Md.) on Oct. 24-25 at 8 p.m. Except for adding a couple cuts from her abysmal 2021 album “Thank You” (her latest), her setlist has not changed much in 15 years. She’s a little better about performing Supremes songs than she was earlier in her career (for ages, they were crammed into one medley), but she still heavily favors her solo material. Tickets start at $102. 

The Life and Music of George Michael” comes to the National Theatre (1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Hard to tell from promo material if this is a typical jukebox musical-type show or more like a tribute band concert for the late gay singer. Tickets are $55. 

Sapphic Factory: Queer Joy Party” is at 9:30 Club (815 V St., N.W.) on Friday, Oct. 25 at 10 p.m. It’s slated to feature music by artists such as Mana, Chappell Roan, Fletcher, Phoebe Bridges, Kehlani, Rina Sawayama, boygenius, Kim Petras, Tegan and Sara and more. Tickets are $23. 

Kacey Musgraves brings her “Deeper Well World Tour” to CFG Bank Arena (201 West Baltimore St.) on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. It supports her sixth studio album, released in March. The setlist morphed slightly over a spring run in Europe. It’s sold out. 

Soul diva Gladys Knight plays the Hall at Live! (7002 Arundel Mills Circle) in Hanover, Md., on Sunday, Nov. 17th at 7:30 p.m. Knight, who hasn’t had a new album out in a decade, tends to be fairly generous with her classic Motown- and Buddha-era hits with the Pips in approximately 75-minute sets. Tickets start at $95. 

(Joey DiGuglielmo was variously the Blade’s news and features editor from 2006-2020.)

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Music & Concerts

National Symphony plays free concert Sunday

NSO Labor Day performance held at U.S. Capitol

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(Photo by DeshaCAM/Bigstock)

The National Symphony Orchestra’s free annual Labor Day weekend concert returns to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on Sunday, Sept. 1. The performance is free and tickets are not required. Seating is first-come, first-served.

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