Who is souad massi

Her uncle played flamenco guitar, and Ms. Massi also developed a passion for that style, finding its rough, evocative vocal style intriguing. When Ms. Massi suffered from depression as a teenager, her brother Hassan nurtured her with music.

She began writing poetry in the tradition of Arabic love poets, which she soon converted into songs. School took Ms. Bored without the stimulation of the big city, she returned to Algiers to study at the Institute of Public Works.

In the late 90s, she took a job as town planner, and played music at night. She joined a rock band called Atakor and recorded her debut cassette, Souad, with th in But at a time when musicians were being targeted for assassination, she was afraid to press her career forward. At the same time, the more she discovered her own voice as a musician, the more the broadcast media became wary of her, and began to censor her simply by neglecting her.

Subsequently, the fateful invitation arrived for Souad Massi to perform a concert in Paris. TV producer Aziz Smati, himself a victim of a fundamentalist shooting, had escaped to France, and teamed up with radio broadcaster Mohammed Allalou to organize a festival of Algerian women at the Cabaret Sauvage.

The songs cast an unflinching eye on the darkness she had experienced in her life. Raoui sold over , copies, and although she was still an unknown in the Middle East and North Africa, Ms. Massi quickly became an Arab music pop star in Europe. Hide Show Music department 3 credits. Hide Show Composer 3 credits. Hide Show Actress 1 credit. Hide Show Soundtrack 6 credits. Hide Show Self 8 credits. Self - Musician. Official Sites: Official Site [France]. Edit Did You Know?

See more ». Star Sign: Virgo. Getting Started Contributor Zone ». Edit page. Clear your history. See full bio » Born: August 23 , in Alger, Algeria. Dividing her time between France and Algeria, Massi still calls Paris home, yet it was the initial culture shock of emigration which gave birth to her distinctive sound. Raised on American rock and country, she never had much time for traditional Arabic music growing up, but arriving in the unfamiliar environment prompted a pivotal reassessment of her cultural lineage.

Souad Massi - Rani Rayha. Released in , the album took more than two years to complete. But writing her own lyrics again this time around, the songwriter was already anxious her newer work might be sharing too much with her audience and says her sonic approach echoes that of Deb. Updated 29 January January 29, Follow arabnews.