Cheba Zahouania ( ar, الشابة الزهوانية) (also spelled Chaba), born Halima Mazzi ( ar, حليمة مازي) (born May 15, 1959) is Moroccan & Algerian singer known for

raï Raï (, ; ar, راي, Latn, ar, rāʾy, ), sometimes written rai, is a form of Algerian traditional music, folk music that dates back to the 1920s. Singers of Raï are called ''cheb'' (Arabic: شاب) (or ''shabab,'' i.e. young) as opposed ...

music. She has lived in France since her singing partner,

Cheb Hasni Cheb Hasni ( ar, الشاب حسني), born Hasni Chakroun ( ar, حسني شقرون), (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. He was popular across the Maghreb, having reached the height of his career in the late 1 ...

, was murdered in 1994.

Biography

Halima Mazzi was born in

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

from a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, in 1959. Under the name Chaba Zahouania, she became a popular singer of

, a hybrid folk-music style. In 1986, five years after the start of her career, she achieved recognition with her performance of "Khâli ya khâli" (''My uncle, oh, my uncle'') with

Cheb Hamid Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...

. During the summer of 1987, Zahouania recorded "Beraka" ("The Shack"), with

, which was considered provocative by Algerian standards, which got them attention. The success of the song made Hasni famous and added to Zahouania's fame, although the song remained controversial with critics and Islamic fundamentalists, who were already concerned over the popularity of the raï genre. Hasni was murdered in Oran on 29 September 1994. Zahouania left Algeria and went to live in France. She was able to return in 1999 and recorded in Algeria, including a duet with

Cheb Abdou Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře. Before the 1945 Expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia, expulsion of the German-speaking population ...

. In 2006, she started to sing about religious subjects after being invited to

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red ...

on her first pilgrimage by President

Abdelaziz Bouteflika Abdelaziz Bouteflika (; ar, عبد العزيز بوتفليقة, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Būtaflīqa ; 2 March 1937 – 17 September 2021) was an Algerian politician and diplomat who served as President of Algeria from 1999 to his resignation in 2019 ...

. Although she dislikes politics, she did join with other raï singers to create a support committee for Abdelaziz Bouteflika in 2009.

Selected discography

* ''H Bibi Darha Biya'' (2003) * ''El baraka'' (2002) * ''Zahouania'' (2001) * ''Samahni ya zine'' (2000) * ''Rhythm n Raï'' (1997) * ''Formule Raï'' (1995) * ''Nights without Sleeping'' (1988) * ''Rachid System'' Feat.

Rim'K Abdelkrim Brahmi a.k.a. Rim'K (born 21 June 1978 in Paris, France) is an Algerian–French rapper. Rim'K was raised in the Parisian suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine. His family is originally from Barbacha in Algeria and is mentioned many times in his ...

* ''Wourini Win Rak Tergoud'' * ''Mazelt fi lbal'' * ''Ya Lala Torkia'' * ''Amitiés Sacrée'' featuring TLF * ''La Route du Soleil'' featuring

References

External links

Chaba Zahounia
at HibaMusic
Official YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahouania, Chaba 1959 births 20th-century Algerian women singers 21st-century Algerian women singers Algerian people of Moroccan descent Arabic-language singers Island Records artists Living people Raï musicians People from Oran Algerian expatriates in France