Hindi Zahra

Hindi Zahra is an alternative Moroccan singer, based in France.

Hindi Zahra is of Berber and Touareg origins, and was born in 1979 in Khouribga-Morocco. At 14, she moves to Paris where other family members were settled.

After earning the French baccalaureate, Zahra works in a series of small-time jobs before finally releasing her debut album in 2010 entitled ‘Hand Made’ (under the label Blue Note EMI); a hand crafted gem that reunites all of her many musical influences.

The free-spirited Hindi Zahra is to music what Frida Kahlo is to painting; Hindi is considered the next big thing in World Music. She sings in Arabic, English and French with an eclectic sound that mixes elemental folk, desert blues, African-American soul, indie music, tribal and even hip-hop. She is often described as the child of Django Rheinhardt and Billie Holiday. Hindi Zahra’s eccentric image is also quite intriguing and surreal, especially in her music video for ‘Stand up’ where she looks like the chief of an ancient Mayan tribe, with the occasional wild feathers. In other words, Hindi Zahra is universal!

Hindi Zahra actually comes from a family of Berber artists, the most famous of which are The Oudaden Group. Her mother Doukri Mahjouba, along with her uncles, initiated her to the greatest Maghreb singers, the traditional Gnaoua music, Dylan folk, and Bob Marley’s reggae music. Zahra also learned the ancestral rhythms and melodies of the Egyptian repertoire, as well as the folk sounds of Ismaël Lô.

The album ‘Hand Made’ includes a song about arranged marriages named ‘Oursoul’ (never again in Berber), along with ‘Beautiful Tango’(featured in a UK ad), ‘Stand Up’ (our favorite), ‘Fascination’, ‘Set Me Free’, ‘Kiss & Thrills’, ‘At The Same Time’, ‘Imik Si Mik’, ‘Music’, ‘Don't Forget’, and ‘Old Friends’.

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