His detractors say he shouldn\u2019t be making pop music in times of war and destruction. His millions of fans say he has given them permission to celebrate their culture and their cause<\/p>\n
The first time I heard a song by Saint Levant, only three years ago, was in a world that does not exist any more. Gaza\u2019s buildings were intact, as were its schools and roads and markets and mosques. My home city of Khartoum in Sudan was standing, as it had for centuries. Back then, I could scroll for fun, not in dread. I could stumble, say, in late 2022, upon an arresting clip on TikTok of a song by an Arab artist with a pun for a name; Saint Levant, a play on Saint Laurent \u2013 the icon of western style had been Arabised in homage to the Middle East\u2019s Levant region.<\/p>\n
I began to see the same song all over my social media. In the video, Saint Levant, then 22, is in a white vest and brown trousers. A gold pendant chain dangles on his chest, a tattoo encircles his left arm. He starts by rapping in English, telling the woman he is wooing that \u201che\u2019s not toxic, he\u2019s broken baby\u201d. And then, the twist, as he switches to Arabic, then French, then English again. Like a wholesome boy next door, he tells her to send his regards to her grandmother and her brother. Then says that he wants to make her forget about her ex, he wants her overthinking all her texts, he wants the neighbours to hear her yell. \u201cLover boy Levant is back in the building,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/6fc8b4f8e1b24f9ab4dfc85ea20e06354329dac6\/833_0_4167_3333\/master\/4167.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e67c77c99efe6adcb53bbac8f2b9fa9e\" "\\"Saint")
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