Faudel

Biography

Faudel Belloua (Arabic: فُضيل بيلوى; born June 6, 1978) is a French raï singer and actor of Algerian descent. He released multiple studio albums, notably Baïda×BaïdaOctober 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Anti4:252Eray3:373Tellement n'brick3:594Dis-moi3:525Omri4:426La Valse5:047Baïda4:078Miskin3:359Abadou4:2510N'sel Fik5:4011Ma vie5:17, Samra×SamraFebruary 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Lila3:552Aveuglé par l'amour3:503La main dans la main4:154Salsa raï4:125Raha3:586Mantes-La-Jolie3:237Je me souviens5:488Couleurs de ton âme4:019Hanina4:5310Rohi3:5411Samra4:2412Si tu le veux3:3613Paris - Le Caire5:01, Un Autre Soleil×Un autre soleil2 September 2003 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Je veux vivre3:122Un autre soleil3:013Je cherche3:574Je n'ai que mon cœur3:435Manuja4:096Woulli3:407Maïna3:368Souffrir pour lui dire3:209Orphelin4:2310Cours2:5811Entre elle et moi3:3612Petit être3:27 and Mundial Corrida×Mundial corrida2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Mon pays3:462Mundial corrida3:123Elle chante pour moi3:384Dis leur qu’ils aiment3:355Aya3:036Alger‐USA3:497Nos racines3:448Elles s’envolent3:129Les enfants de la mer3:4610Si on m’avait dit4:0811Un sourire de silence4:1312J’avance3:09 and the live album 1,2,3 Soleils×1,2,3 Soleils17 November 1998 · Album · LiveSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Khalliouni Khalliouni (instrumental)5:412Menfi5:413Eray4:404N'ssi N'ssi5:155Ida7:086Baïda5:427Omri5:458Voilà voilà5:509Indie5:3910Chebba5:3011Sahra4:43Disc 21Madeeh7:262Wahrane Wahrane4:583Les Ailes5:144La Camel5:285Abdel Kader5:136Bent Sahra7:217Aïcha6:528Tellement N'Brick9:119Didi6:0910Ya Rayah7:29 jointly with Khaled and Rachid Taha.

Early years

Born in Mantes-la-Jolie, a suburb of Paris, and raised by Algerian-born immigrant parents in the Val Fourré neighborhood, the young Faudel was introduced to Algerian raï by his grandmother who performed regularly in Oran with the meddahates, groups of female musicians who play traditional folk raï at weddings and other family occasions. It was Amaria, Faudel's grandmother, who was largely responsible for teaching him traditional raï rhythms during the summer holidays in Algeria.
His first public singing experience was during a family wedding celebration in Oran, Algeria. Faudel started to cover the popular tracks by Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami at 12, after which he soon fronted the popular band Les Etoiles du Raï (The Rai Stars). Faudel and Les Etoiles du Rai soon became a well-known fixture at the youth club and other local associations in Mantes-la-Jolie. Faudel then went on to appear at clubs throughout the Paris suburbs, performing covers of Khaled, Zahouania and Mami's greatest hits, accompanied by a pre-recorded backing tape.
The turning-point of Faudel's early career came at the age of 13 when he was spotted at Printemps de Bourges by Mohamed Mestar (aka Momo). Mestar, an ex-guitarist, had recently set up an association in the suburbs to promote up-and-coming local artists and, after catching one of Faudel's concerts, he offered to take charge of the young Rai singer's career. Thanks to Momo's guiding hand, Faudel soon built up his own repertoire and began collaborating with different artists, and playing in a few Cheb Mami and MC Solaar concerts as well. Faudel went on to study accountancy and metallurgy, but his passion for Rai soon led to him taking up a professional singing career.
Faudel's debut album, Baïda×BaïdaOctober 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Anti4:252Eray3:373Tellement n'brick3:594Dis-moi3:525Omri4:426La Valse5:047Baïda4:078Miskin3:359Abadou4:2510N'sel Fik5:4011Ma vie5:17, was released in 1997. A year later, he was invited to sing with Khaled and Rachid Taha in the 1, 2, 3 Soleils concert in Paris. His collaboration with them made him a household name in France and Algeria.
Even though Faudel was still in his early teens, he managed to establish himself as the new voice of Rai. Indeed, in 1995 two French television documentaries were made about the rising young star from Mantes-la-Jolie - Saga cités (which was broadcast on the state-owned channel France 3) and Les Enfants du Rai (broadcast on the Franco-German channel Arte). The following year Faudel would be chosen to represent the Ile-de-France region at the prestigious Printemps de Bourges Festival. And the young singer's impressive performance in the New Talent category would only serve to increase his growing popularity.
Meanwhile, Faudel embarked on a new series of concert tours while Momo set about getting his young protégé a recording deal. In order to produce the best demo tape possible, Momo and Faudel flew out to New York in January 1996 to record three tracks with session musicians at the legendary Record Plant studios. The demo tape would actually prove unnecessary - after Faudel's impressive performance at the Printemps de Bourges, the young star was snapped up by major record label Mercury shortly afterward. Faudel's original sound - which fuses traditional Amazigh Rai rhythms with 'new wave' guitar, reggae, Afro-beat and vibrant flamenco rhythms - was now set to hit the big time.
After signing a contract with Mercury to produce five albums over the next few years, Faudel decided to quit school. The young singer then embarked upon another major concert tour, performing dates throughout France and Europe. In the course of this new tour Faudel would appear in concert with a number of legendary Rai stars such as Khaled and Cheb Mami. Meanwhile, Faudel's catchy new Rai sound would reach a whole new audience when it was used as part of the soundtrack to Ariel Zeitoun's film Elle est Belle la Vie.

Baïda

Faudel soon caught on with the French media too, journalists and music critics dubbing him (The Little Prince of Rai). The Little Prince of Rai soon went into the studio to record his début album Baïda×BaïdaOctober 1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Anti4:252Eray3:373Tellement n'brick3:594Dis-moi3:525Omri4:426La Valse5:047Baïda4:078Miskin3:359Abadou4:2510N'sel Fik5:4011Ma vie5:17 (Blonde). Released in October 1997, Faudel's album combined a "light" modern Rai style with hard-hitting lyrics. (Faudel's songs deal with everything from broken hearts to the problems of France's second-generation immigrants). The first single release from the album, "Tellement N'brick" (I Love You So Much), went on to become a huge hit on community radio during the Muslim month of Ramadan (January 1998).
Following the success of "Tellement N'brick", Baïda was nominated in the 'traditional music' category at the Victoires de la Musique awards in February 1998. On April 15, Faudel was invited to perform at the Printemps de Bourges Festival once again.
Following the release of his début album, Faudel went on to perform a whole string of concerts, delighting music fans up and down the country. On September 26 the Little Prince of Rai appeared in concert with Khaled and Rachid Taha at Bercy stadium in Paris, attracting a crowd of 15,000 Rai fans. He then went on to continue his successful national tour. The live album of the Bercy concert (entitled 1.2.3. Soleils) proved to be an overwhelming success with the French public and the three Rai Tenors were soon inundated with invitations to appear on all the top TV shows.
His 1997 music video called "Tellement Je T'aime" featured Ukrainian born, model and actress, future "James Bond's girl" Olga Kurylenko.
At the beginning of 1999 the popular Rai trio were back in the limelight again with a new single. They had already performed the song - an Arabic adaptation of Jacques Revaux's legendary French classic "Comme d'habitude" (the French "My Way") - at their Bercy concert and the single proved instantly popular with French music fans. On 20 February 1999 the trio were invited to perform the song at the Victoires de la Musique (the annual French music awards). Faudel triumphed at the award ceremony that night, when television viewers voted him Best Newcomer of the Year. Following this triumph, Faudel went on to bring the house down when he performed two concerts at the Olympia on March 10 and 11.
In the summer of 1999, the young Rai star set off on a mini tour of Tunisia, performing six concerts which brought the famous "Faudel Tour" (the extensive international tour he had launched at the beginning of the year) to a triumphant end.

Samra

During the summer of 2000, Faudel performed at the Summer Stage Festival in New York.
Meanwhile, he went back to work on his next album, Samra×SamraFebruary 2001 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Lila3:552Aveuglé par l'amour3:503La main dans la main4:154Salsa raï4:125Raha3:586Mantes-La-Jolie3:237Je me souviens5:488Couleurs de ton âme4:019Hanina4:5310Rohi3:5411Samra4:2412Si tu le veux3:3613Paris - Le Caire5:01. The album included 6 French and 7 Arabic songs. The Mercury release booklet contains sung texts in French and Arabic in romanization. The songs were written and arranged by Nabil Khalidi (a collaborator of Rachid Taha) and Goh Hotoda (a well-known remixer), and were produced by Mohamed Mestar who has been following Faudel since 1993. Samra remained faithful to the raï tradition, while presenting more synthetic rhythms and Arabic pop features, as well as new Latino touches—especially for the song "Salsa raï" performed in a duo with Yuri Buenaventura. More than in his previous albums, the lyrics focused on love rather than on his usual social comments, except for one track that referred to Mantes-la-Jolie, the inner-city where the artist grew up and still lives in. Released in February 2001, and following the great success of Baïda, which topped the 350,000 mark; this new album charted in France, Belgium and Switzerland.

Un Autre Soleil and Mundial Corrida

In 2003, the singer went back to the recording studio to work on a new album. On September 2, 2003, Faudel released Un Autre Soleil, his most mature album so far. The artist had to compromise with his record company that insisted on his producing an exclusively Arabic album, yet he also managed to impose songs in French. With the help of songwriter Patrick Dupond who had collaborated with Florent Pagny, Faudel composed very personal lyrics such as those of "Petit Etre" — dealing with his recently born son. Marion Michau penned the first single to be aired on the French radios "Je Veux Vivre×Je veux vivre1 January 2003 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Le clip3:082Le making-of3La version karaoké3:14". Bands like Zebda, the Négresses Vertes and Zen Zila also came to collaborate on the record. With a strong Mediterranean feel, the album should enable Faudel to meet with a larger and larger audience.
Faudel worked on a new album called Mundial Corrida×Mundial corrida2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Mon pays3:462Mundial corrida3:123Elle chante pour moi3:384Dis leur qu’ils aiment3:355Aya3:036Alger‐USA3:497Nos racines3:448Elles s’envolent3:129Les enfants de la mer3:4610Si on m’avait dit4:0811Un sourire de silence4:1312J’avance3:09. This, the Rai star's fourth album to date, was released in September 2006. On Mundial Corrida, produced by Fred Chateau and Volodia, Faudel affirmed his double French and Algerian identity, celebrating his two cultures on "Mon Pays×Mon pays13 November 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Mon pays3:432Mon pays (remix)3:45", the first single release which received extensive airplay. The French singer, songwriter and composer Pascal Obispo also contributed several tracks to the album.

The Return

In 2017, Faudel recorded the bilingual Arabic and French language single "Rani" as a duo with singer Mohammed Assaf, who was the 2013 Arab Idol winner.
A track recorded in collaboration with RedOne, "All Day, All Night×All Day, All Night27 April 2018 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1All Day, All Night3:28" was released on April 26, 2018.
On April 16, 2019, a new song was unveiled, Mon Dieu, follow it in 2020 with two songs Histoire Chaba and Smile.

Acting career

Besides his singing career, the young star of Raï music decided to take a new turn towards acting and accepted a part in the French film, Battement d’ailes du papillon. Following that part, Faudel continued to read a lot of scripts, but remained on the lookout for the right part that would turn him into a star of the big screen.
As an actor he also took part in a television series entitled Sami. He played a Tunisian student working as a supervisor in a French high school.
In 2004, Faudel made a comeback on cinema screens, starring in Merzak Allouache's film Bab el web alongside Samy Naceri and Julie Gayet. He played the role of a young man from the Bab el Oued neighbourhood in Algiers.

Personal life

Faudel has a trio of French, Moroccan and Algerian nationality. In February 2002, his partner gave birth to a boy named Enzy.

Albums

Studio albums

Live albums

Compilation albums
Live albums