AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Souad Massi

Artist:Souad Massi

Song:Yawlidi

Album:Deb

Souad Massi is an Algerian singer songwriter who has lived in Paris since 1999 because of the political climate at home. That's not unusual for African musicians. And though you won't understand what she's singing, her music is in the Western style as she works with French studio musicians. She was born Aug. 23, 1972 in Algiers, Algeria. She started singing as a child. She was a big fan of country and roots music. In the early 90s, Souad joined the Algerian political rock band Atakor. She was in that band for eight years. They were influenced by Led Zeppelin and U2. They released a successful album. But they became a target because of political content. After anonymous death threats, Souad moved to Paris in 1999. After performing at the Femme d'Algerie festival in Paris, she signed with Island Records and released the 2001 album Raoui. The album was a hit in France. Souad sings mostly in Arabic and French. Yawlidi is from Souad's 2003 album Deb. It was her second album. As with all her albums, Souad writes and produces her own music with French studio musicians like Jean-Francois Kellner on guitar, Jean-Rene Zapha on bass and David Fall on drums. They tour with her too. This album is available on CD. A few years ago, Universal sold Souad's French contract to the British label Wrasse. They were already releasing her albums internationally. So her recent albums including the 2022 album Sequana are on Wrasse. She's worth checking out. Here's Souad Massi with Jean-Francois Kellner on guitar, Rabah Khalfah on debourka, Jean-Rene Zapha on bass and David Fall on drums performing Yawlidi at the Bridgestone Music Festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil June 21,2008.