Yasmine Hamdan Quotes

"Music liberated me."

"Change means resistance, and resistance means transformation and igniting energies."

"You do not start by working on society; you start by yourself to be a freer person and a more independent person."

"Without freedom and without humor, our cultures can't have a healthy evolution."

"I follow my desires, and I'm prepared to take the consequences."

"I have a sense of mission in a way. I've always worked on being free, as a woman and as an artist."

"I've always had a sense that I am doing something very important, something vital."

"I set the bar very high. I'm very tough on myself."

"I wanted to pursue my own thing - I had desires, ideas I wanted to accomplish, and I needed to be on my own for that."

"I am interested in exploring encounters where worlds meet and not where they separate."

"There should be no borders, race, colours, or ethnical considerations when it comes to music and creativity."

"I have learned to create from a hybridized point of view. It's an asset - something rather liberating."

"I'm inspired by many artists whose language I don't understand."

"I sing in Arabic as a statement. It's art, and it's a challenge."

"When it comes to the lyrics, I write about my own perception of things and use characters for that."

"Collaborating with other artists is an emotional thing. Obviously, you don't do it unless this person inspires you."

"Singing is a very sensual activity! You engage in it with all your senses and your heart."

"I was raised by strong women, and the role models I had in music and cinema were strong, too - liberated and provocative."

"All of the Arabic women I grew up listening to or watching had a very strong character."

"We all have femininity in us."

"Faith is a very intimate process that involves being sincere and truthful to a spiritual presence."

"I don't believe that there is a separation between art and political consciousness."

"I've always fought any form of censorship."

"I sing 'Beirut' for what the city is for me, but I am also singing as an exile."

"For me, a taxi is like a public space because so many people get in that space."