Hindi Zahra

Hindi Zahra (Tamazight: ⵀⵉⵏⴷⵉ ⵣⴰⵀⵕⴰ, Arabic: هندي زهرة, born 20 January 1979[1] in Khouribga, Morocco) is a Moroccan singer[2] and actress. When coming up with a stage name, she simply inverted her birth name.[3] Her songs are mostly in English but some lyrics as in the song "Imik Si Mik" are in the Berber language.

Hindi Zahra
Zahra at the Nice Jazz Festival 2010
Background information
Also known asZahra Hindi
Born20 January 1979
OriginKhouribga, Morocco
GenresBerber music, Pop, Soul, Jazz, Folk, Blues, World music
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsVocalist
Years active2009–present
Websitehindi-zahra.com
Moroccan singer Hindi Zahra at Pause Guitare, in July, 2015.

Influenced by singers like Cheikha Rimitti,[4] Hindi Zahra has drawn comparisons with Beth Gibbons of Portishead, Billie Holiday, Patti Smith, and Norah Jones.

Career

Zahra was raised by her Moroccan mother, a dancer and actress, in Khouribga, Morocco. At the age of fifteen, she left school and moved to Paris to live with her father, who had been a soldier. At age 18 she worked at the Louvre.[4]

Zahra wrote her first lyrics and melodies. She is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist. By 2005 she had written about 50 songs of which Beautiful Tango, Oursoul, Try, and Stand Up were first released on the EP Hindi Zahra in 2009 and eleven songs were recorded on Hindi Zahra's first album which was released in January 2010 at the Jazz label Blue Note Records. The video to the opening song Beautiful Tango was made by French director Tony Gatlif.[5] The song Stand Up was chosen for a commercial campaign by Western Union. In June 2010 she collaborated with French musician Blundetto on his debut album Bad Bad Things. In November 2010, Hindi Zahra won the Prix Constantin for Best Album.[6] In February 2011, she won the Victoires de la Musique award for the best World music album.[7]

In 2014 she had roles in the films The Narrow Frame of Midnight by Tala Hadid and in The Cut by Fatih Akin.

In April 2015 her second studio album Homeland was released.

Discography

Albums
Year Album Peak positions Certification
BEL
(Vl)
[8]		 BEL
(Wa)
[9]		 FR
[10]		 SWE
[11]		 SWI
[12]
2010 Handmade 22 35 17 29 58
2015 Homeland 64 68 27  –  –
Others

EPs
  • 2009: Hindi Zahra (EP)
  • 2011: Until the Next Journey (EP)

Singles
Year Single Peak positions Album
BEL
(Wa)
[9]		 FR
[10]		 GER
2010 "Beautiful Tango" 9*
(Ultratip)		  – 85 Handmade
2015 "Any Story"  – 88  – Homeland

*Did not appear in the official Belgian Ultratop 50 charts, but in the Ultratip charts.

Other releases
  • 2010: "Stand Up"
  • 2010: "Imik Si Mik"
  • 2011: "Fascination

References
  1. Ammour, Idi (27 April 2015). "La douceur de l'Orient aux inflexions des touaregs et de la langue berbère: Homeland, le nouvel album de Hindi Zahra" (in French). Algiers: djazairess.com. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  2. "Hindi Zahra - Music for the Soul". EFI-News.com. 21 September 2011. Archived from the original on 13 December 2011. Retrieved 25 October 2011.
  3. "Hindi Zahra: If music be a tree". Thedailynewsegypt.com. 24 June 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  4. "Hindi Zahra biography". Hindi-zahra.com. 23 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  5. "Hindi Zahra, une voix nomade entre Orient et Occident". Le Parisien. 22 May 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  6. Par PHILIPPE BROCHEN. "Hindi Zahra, prix Constantin 2010". Next.liberation.fr. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  7. "Les Victoires de la musique de 2011 (The 2011 Music's Victories)". Transparent.com. 11 February 2011. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  8. "Hindi Zahra discography". ultratop.be/nl/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  9. "Hindi Zahra discography". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  10. "Hindi Zahra discography". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  11. "Hindi Zahra discography". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  12. "Hindi Zahra discography". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
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