Thoom, the Pop Princess Lebanon Desperately Needs

The music industry in the Arab world has become oversaturated, but I believe that we’ve been missing one very important thing: a pop princess. For those who’ve been experiencing Saint Levant and Tul8te fatigue, I’m putting you on this US-based icon called Thoom.

Who is Thoom?

Born in Beirut and raised in the US, Thoom is known for her out-of-the-box arrangements that blend so many different music styles that it’s hard to pin her down to just one. Her latest album, Everyday, Everything Is At Stake (2026), is a pretty good introduction to that approach, jumping between experimental pop, electronic music and the Arabic influences that have followed her throughout her career.

One of the tracks currently going viral from her album Everyday, Everything Is At Stake (2026) is I’m Going Back to Lebanon, an emotional love song grappling with the current situation in the country.

You can check the snippet of her music video, which amassed almost a million views on Instagram, here:

Thoom captures the struggle of artists trying to live their dreams while staying connected to their roots. The track simultaneously questions the return to a Lebanon she once loved and the imminent threat to its existence.

While her discography doesn’t include much about the Lebanese experience, her identity as a Lebanese artist remains an important part of how she navigates her career, especially as she builds a life and audience beyond Lebanon.

One of my favorite tracks of hers is actually Janani, which leans much more into her experimental side. The track is actually a pretty good example of why it’s difficult to put Thoom in a box.

Her Story (Simplified)

That instinct to experiment goes back to her childhood. Thoom was born in Lebanon but moved to Iowa at only 11 years old. She grew up far away from the culture and environment she knew in Beirut, but she kept it with her in her journey as an artist.

She later moved to Chicago for art school, where she found her way into the city’s DIY noise and punk scene. That became an outlet for years of frustration and cultural dissonance, eventually shaping the experimental sound of her early work.

She draws on musical influences passed down through her father and grandmother, including the derbakke and Lebanese vocal traditions.

Her 2020 album Pork was written across Beirut, Chicago and Berlin, reflecting the different places that shaped her life and identity. It’s a good example of how her relationship with Lebanon has never been as simple as making music “about” home. You can read more about her new album in this article by Mixmag.

That mix is still what makes her music so interesting. Thoom isn’t trying to recreate Lebanese music or make every song about Lebanon. Instead, her background is one part of a much bigger musical world that keeps shifting with whatever she feels like exploring next.

And her Y2K sound feels very Charli XCX and Britney Spears but made uniquely hers. I think she deserves the level of fame that Saint Levant and Tul8te have, if not more.

And we honestly need more artists experimenting with their sound instead of releasing TikTok-ified music for the sake of virality.

Thoom is more than just art for art’s sake. I rest my case.

MORE LIKE THIS

Someone Is Turning Beirut Into a PS1-Style Horror Game

Nostalgic gamers will absolutely love this 🎮