Sinno was born to a Lebanese father who had lived in the United States and a Jordanian mother who had lived between Morocco and Rome. He has American citizenship. Growing up, Sinno's household was Anglophone. He attended an American school and graduated "not knowing how to properly speak Arabic", mostly learning Arabic as he wrote songs. While Sinno did not have formal musical training or learn to read music, he sang in the school choir. While studying at the American University of Beirut, Sinno came out. There he also began to experiment with subversive graffiti as a form of self-expression before getting involved with Mashrou' Leila.
Career
Sinno co-founded Mashrou' Leila in 2008 while studying graphic design at the American University of Beirut, when responding to an open jam session call put out by Andre Chedid, Omaya Malaeb, and Haig Papazian. According to Sinno, his parents initially disapproved of his career in music, fearing for his financial prospects and physical safety due to the band's controversial reputation.
In media
Sinno has been featured on the cover of several magazines, including France's Têtu, Jordan's My.Kali, and UK-basked Attitude. He also appeared on the cover of the Middle East edition of Rolling Stone magazine as part of Mashrou' Leila. Sinno figured in a paiting by the Iranian artist Alireza Shojaian dubbed Hamed Sinno et un de ses fréres, in the painting Sinno is depicted pinching the nipple of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of funerary rites. Anubis dons a rainbow colored Usekh collar alluding to the pride flag. The work references and draws inspiration from a painting by an unknown painter, titled Gabrielle d’Estrées et une de ses soeurs, that depicts the mistress of Henry IV of France. The collaboration with Sinno was a statement against systematic state-led persecution of LGBT minorities in Egypt. Shojaian painted the piece after the September 22, 2017 Mashrou' Leila Cairo concert during which the pride flag was flown. The Cairo pride flag incident resulted in the arrest of a number of concert-goers. .
