Souad Massi | Artist

Souad Massi, is an Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist born 1972 in Algiers. In the early 1990s, Massi joined the Algerian political rock band Atakor, who were influenced by Western rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and U2. She recorded and performed with the group for seven years, releasing a successful album and two popular music videos. The band, however, with its political lyrics and growing popularity, became a target, and despite disguising herself by cutting her hair and dressing in male clothing, Massi became the target of a series of anonymous death threats. In 1999, she left the band and moved to Paris, France, where she performed at the Femmes d'Algérie concert in Paris, which led to a recording contract with Island Records. Massi's music, which prominently features the acoustic guitar, displays Western musical style influences such as rock, country and Portuguese fado, but also incorporates oriental musical influences and oriental instruments like the oud as well as African musical stylings. Massi sings in Classical Arabic, Algerian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, French, occasionally in English, and in the Kabyle Berber language, often employing more than one language in the same song. To-date Massi has recorded seven solo studio albums, plus a live album. Standouts include Raoui (2001), Deb (2003), Mesk Elil (2005), Oumniya (2019), and the 2007 live album Live Acoustic. Souad Massi currently lives in Paris with her two daughters Inji and Amira. She is a fan of Leonard Cohen and has listed the music from AC/DC and INXS as having been among her formative influences.

Artist Website: wrasserecords/Souad_Massi

Featured Albums: Souad Massi