Yasmine Hamdan May Be Taking the Oscars by Storm

Nothing about Yasmine Hamdan is boring; her take on music, be it lyrically or vocally, is ever-growing and exceedingly exhilarating. We’ve already named her one of our favourite Arab indie artists, but could she be entering the bigger, more competitive league of the top-notch international music scene with a head start?

The word just got out that the Lebanese starlet’s song “Hal”, which is on the soundtrack of the movie Only Lovers Left Alive, has been put down on the list of 79 tracks waiting to be shortlisted for the nominations of “Best Original Song” in the upcoming 87th Academy Awards.

The movie, which was directed by Jim Jarmusch, stars big-name A-list actors including Tom Hiddleston, Tilda Swinton, Mia Wasikowska and John Hurt amongst others.

It circles around the two protagonists, Adam and Eve, immortal vampires in love, with a rather broody outlook on life after having been around for a few centuries. Fear not, however, for this is no Twilight; the film puts a true cinematic twist on the cliché vampire love story and manages to make quite gloomy yet honest criticisms about the nature of humanity.

Back to Hamdan, who appears in the last scene of the movie, mesmerizingly performing “Hal”, which was originally penned by her for the film, in a dark, barely lit underground cafe with Adam and Eve watching her from amongst the awe-struck audience.

Yes, the song is performed in Arabic and yes, it depicts Hamdan’s wonderfully eclectic sound and indie vibes. This is no mass-produced, generic soundtrack; this is Hamdan, performing unapologetically in her true element. She sways, hypnotically moved by the music, as she swoons about the melancholies of a long-distance relationship.

We can’t wait to hear the list of final nominations, with our fingers crossed for “Hal”, which will be released on Jan. 15. The actual Oscars will take place on Feb. 22.

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