Singer. She was born Saadia Bediaf in Tessala, Algeria. She began singing for surviving. When she sang at weddings and parties as a youth, "people gave me food to eat." The artist, whose pioneering recordings inspired younger generations in her homeland and around the world was the title of "mother of rai," the Algerian music of dissent. In Arabic the word rai means "opinion" or "way of seeing." In its early form, the music was rooted in the concerns of everyday people...the joys, the pains, the unspeakable. Her music was considered not religious and apolitical in Algeria and then, in 1978, she moved to France, where triumphed with works such as "N'ta Goudami," her last recording, "Nouar" and "Sidi Mansour." She died in Paris, shortly after a concert.
Singer. She was born Saadia Bediaf in Tessala, Algeria. She began singing for surviving. When she sang at weddings and parties as a youth, "people gave me food to eat." The artist, whose pioneering recordings inspired younger generations in her homeland and around the world was the title of "mother of rai," the Algerian music of dissent. In Arabic the word rai means "opinion" or "way of seeing." In its early form, the music was rooted in the concerns of everyday people...the joys, the pains, the unspeakable. Her music was considered not religious and apolitical in Algeria and then, in 1978, she moved to France, where triumphed with works such as "N'ta Goudami," her last recording, "Nouar" and "Sidi Mansour." She died in Paris, shortly after a concert.
Bio by: José L Bernabé Tronchoni
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