Sleiman Damien (Arabic: سليمان دميان) is a Lebanese musician, music producer, and DJ specializing in modern Arab pop fusion. Many of his musical production collaborations topped Lebanese and regional Arab charts.
Early life and education
Damien attended the Collège des Sœurs des Saints Cœurs in Kfarhbab-Ghazir. During his early career, he set up a small recording studio at home, and experimented with various musical genres.[6]
Work
Damien rose to prominence in 2014 through his collaboration with Lebanese singer Carole Samaha.[1] The hit song “Sahranin” showcased Sleiman's music arrangement style that combines Arabic pop music with upbeat EDM.[7][1]
In 2015, Damien associated with Lebanese Techno artist and producer Tarek Majdalani; they started the deep house duo "Three Machines".[8][7][9] Damien and Majdalani formed a long term working relationship, collaborating on several high-profile projects for veteran mainstream Arab music stars.[7] In 2016 Lebanese singer Assi El Hellani met Damien and Majdalani,[10] he was impressed with their work, and they landed their first music production collaboration. Their first collaboration, "Aheb El Leil", topped the Lebanese music charts.[11][12][13] Damien and Majdalani also arranged songs for both Al-Waleed and Maritta Hellani.[14][15][16][17][18] During a 2017 television interview, Majdalani who comes from a Techno music background, attributed his introduction to Arabic Pop music production to Damien.[19]
In April 2016, Damien was a founding member, together with renowned Lebanese pianist Michel Fadel, of Quartet Music, an event management and entertainment collaborative that highlights young musical talent.[20][21] Fadel and Damien collaborated again, together with long-term partner Tarek Majdalani, on light and music spectacle for the Jounieh International Festival complete with a philharmonic orchestra.[22]
Damien works both with startup artists and well-established Arab stars, including George Wassouf, Walid Toufic, Haifa Wehbe, and Ragheb Alama.[23][24][25] He recognized the musical talent of Lebanese young artist Zef, whom he spotted when the latter busked in the streets of Byblos in the early 2010s. In 2019, 7 years after their initial meeting, Damien produced all of Zef's mellow alternative pop tracks.[26] Damien also regularly produces full albums and tracks for indie bands and international artists such as Anthony Touma,[27] and Adonis who describe him as a fifth band member.[28]
Damien, and songwriter and composer Nabil Khoury approached Abeer Nehme with a song through Universal Music MENA. The resulting collaboration, "Bala Ma Nhess", was an instant success, garnering millions of YouTube views shortly after its release in March 2022.[29][30] "Bala Ma Nhess" which was Damien and Nehme's first collaboration, topped the Lebanese music charts.[31][32][33][34] Nehme announced future collaboration with Damien,[30][35] and in an An-Nahar interview, credited his mixing and production skills as key factors in the song's success.[29][36] Damien and Nassif Zeytoun’2 2022 "Bel Ahlam" was another instant hit, topping the regional charts days after its release.[37][25]
Style
Damien's Arab fusion music features elements from various music styles, including rock and EDM. Unlike traditional Arab music production which prioritizes lyrics, Damien focused on integrating arrangement and music production at the starting phase of each project.[38][25] He believes that more independent artists will have a wider reach with the current trend of music consumption democratization. He also believes that eclecticism in his musical collaborations will make various styles palatable to a more diverse range of audiences, bridging the gap between established artists and the Arab indie scene. In a 2023 interview, he cited Zef & Stephanie Atala’s "El Bekle" as an example of new independent talent that broke into the Middle Eastern music charts and competed with conventional records from industry heavyweights. He also stated that his goal is to help niche songs crossover to the mainstream, and Arabic music to reach the global audience by collaborating with more regional and international artists.[25]
Personal life
Damien is open about his struggles with anxiety, which he believes is a common issue among industry professionals and musicians in the Arab region.[25]
Abdel Radi, Rihab (30 August 2016). "عاصي الحلاني مع "الخيل": "يا أجمل صباحاتي"" [Assi El-Hellani with the colts: “Oh, my most beautiful morning”]. Al Watan (in Arabic). Cairo, Egypt: Al Mustaqbal. Archived from the original on 2016-11-04. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
Al Arab (6 May 2021). "حلا تمنح جمهورها طاقة إيجابية في ليالي الصيف" [Hala gives her fans positive energy in Summer Nights]. Alarab (in Arabic). Alarab UK. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Ali, Lamia (13 December 2020). "مؤلف 'صاحي الليل' لـ'النهار': هكذا وُلد جديد جورج وسوف" [The author of "Sahi El Leil for “An-Nahar”: This is how George Wassouf new track was born]. An-Nahar (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
Al-Jarida (24 December 2018). "ماريتا الحلاني تغني "منّو معقّد"" [Marita El Hellani sings "Manno Maa'ad"]. aljarida (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Al-Jarida (20 November 2020). "دانا حوراني تطلق أغنيتها "إنت أنا"" [Dana Hourani releases her song “Inta Ana”]. Aljarida (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Amro, Ahmad (16 December 2019). "عزيز مرقة يطرح كليب ناطر بالتعاون مع أدونيس" [Aziz Maraka releases a video clip in collaboration with Adonis]. alwafd. Archived from the original on 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
An-Nahar editorial (16 April 2016a). "ميشال فاضل و'الرباعية'" [Michel Fadel and the "Quartet"]. annahar.com. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
An-Nahar editorial (5 July 2016b) [2016-07-05]. "عاصي الحلاني يهدي جمهوره كليب 'أحب الليل'" [Assi El-Hellani presents his fans with the clip "Aheb El Leil"]. An-Nahar (in Arabic). An-Nahar. Archived from the original on 2022-03-28. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
An-Nahar editorial (11 May 2020). "بدنا نبيع... هل بلغنا نهاية الطريق؟" ["We want to sell"... Have we reached the bottom?]. An-Nahar (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Awael News (28 March 2018). "عاصي الحلاني يشوق جمهوره للكليب الجديد "بجنون بحبك"" [Assi El-Hellani teases his fans for the new clip "Bjnoun Behbik"]. Awael News Magazine (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Bunni, Jessica (17 January 2020). "Dana Hourani تُعيد إحياء واحدة من إبداعات فيروز الخالدة" [Dana Hourani brings back to life one of Fayrouz's timeless oeuvres]. Marie Claire Arabia (in Arabic). Marie Claire Arabia. Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Sleiman Damien official website (2022). "Sleiman Damien". Sleiman Damien. Archived from the original on 2022-03-22. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
El-Fann editorial (16 January 2018). "ماريتا الحلاني تتفوّق على نفسها بـ تلاقينا" [Marita El Helani outdoes herself in "Tla'ayna"]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-03-26. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
El-Fann editorial (4 July 2019). "جو أشقر: مصاري من وين؟" [Joe Ashkar: Masari Men Wayn]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
El-Fann editorial (17 April 2020). "فرقة أدونيس تستعيد نشاطها وتباشر بـثقب أسود" [Adonis band returns, embarks on a black hole]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
El-fann editorial (21 September 2022). "ناصيف زيتون يحقق أول مليون مشاهدة في "بالأحلام" ويتصدر الترند" [Nassif Zaytoun reaches the first million views with "Bel Ahlam" and leads the trend]. Elfann News (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 26 February 2023. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
Elias, Nadia (2 October 2020). "الوليد الحلاني يطرح جديده "قالتلي"" [Al-Waleed Al-Hillani releases his new song "Qaletli"]. Al-Quds (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-02-14. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Haddad, Viviane (24 February 2022). "جو أشقر لـ "الشرق الأوسط": بيروت تبدلت وصارت تنام باكراً" [Joe Ashkar to Asharq Al-Awsat: Beirut has changed and is sleeping early]. الشرق الأوسط (in Arabic). الشركة السعودية البريطانية للأبحاث والتسويق. Archived from the original on 2022-03-10. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Khabar Ajel (1 September 2014). "كارول سماحة مميزة وساحرة في سهرانين… وتجربة ناجحة في الكتابة" [Carole Samaha is distinguished and charming in Sahranin... and a successful writing experience]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (5 July 2016a). "أجمل أعمال الصيف نتاج تعاون عاصي الحلاني ولايف ستايلز ستديوز" [The most beautiful work of the summer is the result of the collaboration of Assi El-Hellani and Lifestyles Studios]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (13 April 2016b). "ميشال فاضل و"الرباعية"" [Michel Fadel and the Quartet]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (10 May 2018c). "ماريتا الحلاني وقصتها مع المليون الأول!" [Marita El Hellani and her story with the first million]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (11 April 2018d). ""ضمّيني" جديد الفنان وسام الامير" [Wissam Amir releases Dommini]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (3 April 2019b). "ما هدية لايف ستايلز ستديوز والوليد الحلاني؟" [What's Lifestyle Studios gift to Al Waleed Al Hellani?]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (29 September 2021a). "الموزع سليمان دميان محط انظار نجوم الغناء" [Producer Suleiman Damien is at the center of attention of singing stars]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Khabar Ajel. Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (4 June 2021c). "ليالي الصيف تجمع جاد شويري وحلا الترك" [Summer Nights brings Jad Choueiri and Hala Al-Turk together]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-24. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Khabar Ajel (14 May 2021d). "عاصي الحلاني والوليد يطرحان حبيبي" [Assi El-Hellani and Al-Waleed release "Habibi"]. Khabar Ajel (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
Lattouf, Rami (21 September 2021). Aziza - Mn Hadid عزيزة - من حديد [Made of Steel] (Music Video) (in Arabic). Produced by Sleiman Damien. Aziza. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Majdalani, Tarek (2022). "Three Machines". Tarek Majdalani. Archived from the original on 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
Nawaret editorial (14 May 2021). "سليمان دميان" [Sleiman Damien]. جريدة نورت (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
Wneen (2022). "اغاني من توزيع سليمان دميان" [Songs produced by Sleiman Damien]. Wneen (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-24.
