How Krystine Bejjani drummed her way into the hearts of millions

At twenty-five years old, dentist and drummer Krystine Bejjani is commanding world stages with her raw talent and unbreakable spirit. She is taking her sound abroad and opening for international acts. Abu Dhabi, Mauritius Island and Greece are her upcoming performances in December. “Each crowd has its own vibe, its own hype”, says Krystine. “I tailor each track that I cover live depending on the culture, the age range and the suggestions which I take into consideration”. She attempts to make it fit and create a mix that everyone likes.

Success came early for her. The process took time since she was tackling a new concept in Lebanon: solo drumming on stage. She dared to take the road less traveled as a profession and the bet she made on herself paid off. Today, she is inspiring women in Lebanon and the region to break free from stereotypical expectations and take on drums and other unconventional pursuits.

It was always a hobby for Krystine and still is because her principal pursuit is dentistry. She began posting on TikTok for fun, then a cover of "Stereo Hearts” gained forty million viewers and exploded her account on the platform.

A star is born

In her early years, her parents saw her pursuing a career in architecture, perceived her as delicate, the drummer girl persona being rough around the edges, pierced and tatted. “I wanted to start drumming at ten years old, and for four years I pled my case with my parents”, says Krystine, “when they refused my request yet again, I stopped drawing. That reluctantly convinced them”. Society was beguiled by her drumming as well, in a positive manner more often than not, since she was a girl playing alone with no band accompaniment.

The moment Krystine realized her drums were something visceral, not just the baseline for any song, was one week after the Beirut explosion in 2020. With a broken elbow but a steadfast spirit, she posted a story on Instagram, drumming with one hand to Sia’s “I’m Alive”. She felt every beat as she played her instrument. In no time, the video spread to international pages highlighting the resilience of the Lebanese people.

After gaining momentum on TikTok with her drumming content, she was contacted to perform in Beirut Souks in 2021. She put a track with music, played along with it, and the result was so well received that they booked her for another gig. Over time, the picture slowly formed to turn Krystine into a drumming sensation. A lot of adjustments and tweaking went into her performances. She revised track length and mixing, and inserted transitions for her ten to twenty-minute solo live drumming shows.

A rare double life

As it happens, Krystine is living a rare double life, dentist-in-training by day, drummer commanding stages by night. She is struggling at the moment to balance both. When she finishes her master’s degree in a year and a half, she will be more flexible with her appointments. In addition, the two worlds collide when they request her drum playing at dental conferences abroad, her gimmick being a dentist who knows her way around the drums.

Both careers have one thing in common, precision. She goes on to say that the hassle is worth it, seeing as she is equally passionate about the two. “When a patient gets their smile and confidence back, it’s another form of satisfaction”, admits Krystine. Even though some might encourage her to focus on her lucrative drumming career, she will not relinquish dentistry.

Being a person in the limelight, she is often misconstrued as organized and having it together. However, it is far from the truth. “My life is a whole mess but I’m happy with this mess”, says Krystine. Sometimes, she leaves things to the last minute and manages to get them done. What matters is for people to realize that the image portrayed on social media is misleading. 

Another misconception is that her professionalism in dentistry is frayed due to her artistry, which is not the case. She went to the Lebanese University succeeding in its taxing “concours” exams to study dentistry, and she passed the competitive “concours” exams yet again with flying colors for her master’s degree in USJ in aesthetics, being the only one accepted from her university.

Despite being a role model to many, Krystine did not always lead a charmed life. She insists that she knows the value of money, and that what you learn, your principles and how you apply them are more valuable. “When I first started TikTok, I didn’t have the money for a ring light. So I took it from my siblings to buy the piece of equipment and eventually expanded it to a proper setup for the background”, says Krystine.

The main act 

A phenomenon bringing her satisfaction is the surprising number of people who are getting into drums because of her. Mothers are coming up to her to get into the art. Her energy is contagious and is egging them on to this pursuit. “Performance, charisma, and how the interaction with the crowd unfolds is the name of the game”. Since drums are normally placed in the back, drummers are used to being stiff. She has placed them dead center, on their own. She is not the backup act, she is the main act.

In the end, this young woman is convinced that she hasn’t scratched the surface of her full potential.

“I always want to be better than yesterday”.

She’s taking drum lessons with a seasoned drummer to hone in on her skills, giving her room for more creativity on stage. She’s working on the tracks, the music, trying to come up with a big finish, since she has many countries lined up.

The road was bumpy but now she is expanding, having new representation providing her with bigger opportunities that are more in tune with her tastes. And when she opens her own polyclinic, there will definitely be a small drum set in the entrance.