“MASKARA / مسكرة” had been teased for months before Saint Levant released it as the lead single from his third studio album, AFANDI / افندي, a 12-track record pulling from the era of Arab pop icons such as George Wassouf and Kadim Al Saher.

On the track, Saint Levant is joined by Mohammed Assaf, who built his name on his defining anthem “Ana Dammi Falastini,” which turned him into one of the most recognised voices in the region after he won Arab Idol in 2013. Assaf’s roots are tied directly to the 1948 Nakba: his mother’s family was displaced from Bayt Daras and his father’s from Beersheba. Born in Misrata, Libya, he grew up in Gaza after his family relocated there

Saint Levant, born in Jerusalem, carries his own parallel history of displacement into the collaboration, most directly heard on “Deira,” a song named for his father’s hotel on the Gaza seafront that was destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.

Built around straightforward Arabic pop, “Maskara” itself is a celebration of Palestine and the shared cultural heritage of both artists. It perfectly introduces AFANDI, an album Saint Levant calls an ongoing dialogue between past and present—designed to bring listeners back to the region’s musical golden age.

You can stream, listen to and purchase your copy of AFANDI / افندي  HERE