Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad (born 24 October 1996), known mononymously as Tamino, is a Belgian-Egyptian[3][4] singer, musician and model.[5][6] He is the grandson of Egyptian singer and movie star Muharram Fouad.[3]

Tamino
Tamino in 2017
Tamino in 2017
Background information
Birth nameTamino-Amir Moharam Fouad
Born (1996-10-24) 24 October 1996 (age 28)
Mortsel, Antwerp, Belgium
Genres
Years active2016–present
LabelsCommunion Music, Arts & Crafts Productions
Websitetaminomusic.com
influenced by: Thom Yorke, Jeff Buckley
Tamino at Waves Vienna 2018

Early life

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Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad was born on 24 October 1996 in Mortsel, Antwerp, Belgium, to a Belgian (Flemish)[7][8] mother and Egyptian father.[9] His parents met in the 1990s in Guinea, where his mother was living as an anthropology student. The couple settled in Belgium, where his mother gave birth to him and his brother Ramy.[10] His parents split when he was 3 years old and his father returned to Egypt. Tamino was raised by his mother and Belgian grandparents.[10]

His paternal grandfather was the famous Egyptian singer Muharram Fouad.[10] Tamino played the piano as a child, and was musically influenced by his mother, who introduced him to artists such as The Beatles, Satie, Chopin, as well as the Arabic music she got to know through his father.[9]

Career

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Before commercial success, at age 17 Tamino trained vocally at the Amsterdam Royal Conservatory.[11]

In November 2016, Tamino was invited by Belgian band Het Zesde Metaal to play a Radio 1 session. His first single, Habibi, made an impression and he was immediately picked up by Radio 1.[12]

In 2017, Tamino won a new musical talent competition at Studio Brussels.[13] On 11 October 2017 he played in the Ancienne Belgique (Brussels) where he was nicknamed 'the Belgian Jeff Buckley'.[14] He has also played at Palais 12 (Brussels) and during the Flemish Music Industry Awards and the Melkweg in Amsterdam. During the summer of 2017, he was featured in festivals across Belgium and the Netherlands such as Rock Werchter and Pukkelpop.

In the summer of 2018 Tamino performed in festivals across Europe including Rock en Seine (Paris).[15] On 19 October 2018 Tamino released his first full-length album Amir (Arts & Crafts/Communion). At the end of October, he played three sold-out shows at the Ancienne Belgique as part of a European headline tour. On 8 November 2018 he performed in Iceland at Iceland Airwaves.

Tamino was featured in Live Nation's Ones To Watch,[16] which spoke of Tamino's voice, saying his "falsetto surpasses 'face melting' and rises to a space of pureness that can only be described as divine." He announced his first headline stadium show in November 2019 at the Lotto Arena.

In 2019, Tamino played four shows at SXSW, his first North American shows, where he shared the live version of his single "Indigo Night", with Radiohead bassist Colin Greenwood. On 10 May, Tamino released his live EP titled Live at Ancienne Belgique. Following SXSW he returned to Europe for a tour across the continent, including France, Great Britain, Germany, and the Sziget Festival in Budapest.

Tamino has also been featured in the fashion world and alongside supermodel Gisele Bündchen in Missoni's SS19 Collection. During Paris Fashion week he was featured "in conversation" with Maison Valentino and performed a solo version of "Indigo Night".[17] He has been featured in Vogue Hommes' March 2019 14-page spread, which was photographed by critically lauded photographer Paolo Roversi.

Amir

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On 19 October 2018 Tamino released his first full-length album, Amir. Throughout the album, Tamino is joined by a collective of Arabic musicians based in Brussels called Nagham Zikrayat, an orchestra predominantly made up of professional musicians from the Middle East, most of whom are refugees that fled Iraq and Syria.

The BBC hailed Amir as "The New Sound of The Nile",[18] an ode to Tamino's grandfather Muharram Fouad. The Independent included Amir in their top 10 albums of 2018.[19] Tamino won the Anchor Award at Germany's 2018 Reeperbahn festival and has been nominated for 5 MIA Awards in Belgium.[20]

Sahar

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On 27 April 2022, Tamino released "The First Disciple" after a two-year social media hiatus, the first single from his second studio album, Sahar.[21] On 7 June 2022, Tamino released his second single from the album, "Fascination," and announced that Sahar would be released 23 September 2022.[22]

On 6 June 2022, Tamino announced that he would resume his postponed 2020 North America and Europe tour in September 2022.[23]

Every Dawn's a Mountain

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On 15 October 2024, Tamino released "Babylon", the first single from his upcoming album titled Every Dawn's a Mountain, set for release on March 21, 2025.[24] The album's setlist was also released, including one song in collaboration with American singer-songwriter Mitski, whom he had been touring alongside for her "The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We" tour throughout early 2024.

Discography

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Albums

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  • Amir
    • Released 19 October 2018
    • Deluxe version released 18 October 2019
  • Sahar
    • Released on 23 September 2022
  • Every Dawn's a Mountain
    • Set to release 21 March 2025
  • Tamino
    • Released 5 May 2017
  • Habibi
    • Released 4 May 2018
  • Live at Ancienne Belgique
    • Released 10 May 2019

Singles

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Year Title
2017 "Habibi"
"Cigar"
"Indigo Night"
2018 "Tummy"
2019 "Indigo Night (live)"
2020 "Crocodile"
2022 "The First Disciple"
"Fascination"
"You Don't Own Me"
2023 "Sunflower"
2024 "Babylon"

References

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  1. ^ Salfiti, Jad (27 November 2019). "Tamino: the Arab-Belgian singer bringing two worlds together". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 31 May 2020. Tamino does, wrapping his ideas in melancholic indie rock and a soaring falsetto.
  2. ^ "Alternative Rock Show _ Tamino", whiteoakmusichall, retrieved 7 April 2023
  3. ^ a b Grand-Pierre, Ken (21 June 2019). "The 405 Exchange: Tamino connects with his Egyptian roots on Amir". The 405. Archived from the original on 21 June 2019. It's this prevailing feeling that makes us grateful for an artist like Tamino – the Belgian/Egyptian musician who's truly doing his own thing. His debut album, Amir, is a brave release in a time of Spotify playlists and background coffee shop albums.
  4. ^ "THE SOUNDS OF MEMORIES: INTERVIEW WITH TAMINO". projectrevolver.org. 11 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Tamino". IMG Models. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  6. ^ Exclusive Interview With Tamino on YouTube
  7. ^ "De Liefhebber met Tamino". Klara. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Mysterieuze Tamino kruipt onder de huid in Koninklijk Circus". De Tijd. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023.
  9. ^ a b Peeters, Thomas (18 September 2022). "Tamino: 'Ik had even geen behoefte aan de grote wereld'". De Tijd. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  10. ^ a b c "Tamino: 'Als je echt roem verlangt, heb je duidelijk van iets anders niet genoeg'". 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 11 March 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Belgian singer Tamino merges Arabic sounds with western sensibilities". 12 July 2020.
  12. ^ Habibi on Radio 1 session in November 2016
  13. ^ De Nieuwe Lichting 2017 at Studio Brussels
  14. ^ The Independent – "Is Tamino the heir to Jeff Buckley?"
  15. ^ Bruzz Media – "Met prins Tamino naar Parijs"
  16. ^ One's To Watch – "Meet Tamino, The Mesmerizing Up and Comer With Middle Eastern Influence"
  17. ^ Indigo Night
  18. ^ BBC News – "Tamino: The new 'Sound of the Nile'?"
  19. ^ The Independent – "The 40 best albums of 2018"
  20. ^ "ANCHOR – Reeperbahn Festival International Music Award" (PDF), anchor.award.com, retrieved 7 April 2023
  21. ^ "Tamino on Instagram: "It's been a while, feeling proud and excited to finally share this with all of you. 'The First Disciple' out now (Link in bio). Picture by my mother, edited by @janphilipzen"".
  22. ^ "Tamino on Instagram: "I rejoice to tell you that 23 September will mark the release of my second studio album and that it will be called 'Sahar'. After 'The First Disciple', I'm ready to share another piece of the new record with you today in the form of 'Fascination'. Another song very dear to my heart which as of this day will hopefully mean something to you too. Listen to 'Fascination' and/Or preorder limited edition vinyl of 'Sahar' with hand signed postcard via link in bio Album cover by @janphilipzen"".
  23. ^ "Tamino on Instagram: "First tour dates! Taking off where we left off: USA/Canada solo tour followed by a European full band tour. Counting the days till being on the road again and sharing many beautiful moments with all of you. Tickets go on sale this Friday but there's a pre-sale for newsletter subscribers. Link in bio for info, tickets, or subscribing to newsletter Picture by Herman Selleslags"".
  24. ^ Paul, Larisha (15 October 2024). "Tamino Previews New Album 'Every Dawn's a Mountain' With First Single 'Babylon'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 17 October 2024.