Born into a music-loving Palestinian family and raised between Jerusalem and Ramallah, Christine Zayed is a singer, composer and musician, and a virtuoso of the qanûn. From an early age, she was introduced to classical and contemporary Arab music, as well as traditional Palestinian music. Her repertoire is based mainly on classical Arab music, based on maqam (the science and practice of Arabic modal improvisation), and on Arabic poetry, particularly contemporary Palestinian poetry.