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]
Early life
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
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 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
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
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
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.
^ abGrand-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.
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