Nawell Azzouz, better known as Wallen (born January 23, 1978) is a French
R&B singer.
Her stage name comes from the rearrangement of the letters of her first name.
She was born in
Saint-Denis,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, to
Moroccan parents from
Berkane
Berkane ( ber, translit=Berkane, ⴱⴻⵔⴽⴰⵏ) is a city in northeastern Morocco, in the tribal area of Aït Iznasen, limited by the Mediterranean to the north, the Kis river (Moroccan-Algerian border) and Oujda Province in the east, Nador ...
. As a child, she learned to play the
violin
The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...
and developed a passion for singing. She grew up listening to
funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...
,
hip hop, and R&B.
Influenced by Aaliyah, Wallen made her recording debut with producer Sullee B Wax, and rapper Sté Strass. In 1998, she was featured on the French RnB compilation "24 Carats", with "Je ne pleurs pas" (I'm not crying).
Her first hit came with "Celle Qui Dit Non" with the rapper
Shurik'n. In 2004, she released the album ''Avoir La Vie Devant Soi'' which includes the singles "Bouge Cette Vie", "L'Olivier", and "Donna"'. She also sang with
Usher
Usher may refer to:
Several jobs which originally involved directing people and ensuring people are in the correct place:
* Usher (occupation)
** Church usher
** Wedding usher, one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony
** Fiel ...
on the
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
version of "
U Got It Bad
"U Got It Bad" is a song by American singer Usher, released through Arista Records as the second official single from his third studio album '' 8701'' (2001). It was written by the rapper/producer Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, and co-pro ...
".
With
Abd al Malik and a few other rappers she created a group called
Beni Snassen, that recorded an album under that name.
In 2008, she released her 3rd album ''Misericorde''.
Personal life
She is married to the French rapper
Abd al Malik. Wallen has one child and has stopped singing to concentrate on raising her child.
Discography
Albums
Singles
;Featured in
References
External links
Official Website of Wallen
1978 births
Living people
French women singers
French women rappers
French rhythm and blues singers
French people of Moroccan descent
{{France-singer-stub