Biography
Born around 1950 in Béchar, Algeria, El Bécharia acquired her command of traditional gnawa music from her father. Alongside him and fellow musicians she performed chiefly at weddings, delivering the ancestral repertoire of the Berbers, portions of which are regarded as possessing curative properties. In 1972 she assembled her own four-piece ensemble with Zorah and Kheira. Although the guitar remained her principal instrument, she also developed fluency on the oud, derbouka, bendir, banjo, gumbri (a bass lute) and karkabous. From the mid-1970s her audience expanded steadily, prompting a shift to electric guitar. Early in 1999 she was invited to Paris for the Women of Algeria festival, where her appearance generated widespread acclaim and press attention. She remained in the city and began working with Frederic Galliano, including a performance at the Festival de Jazz à Vienne.
El Bécharia sings in French as well as Soudania, the ancient language of her people, and maintained a busy schedule of stage and television engagements. In 2002—the year she issued her Label Bleu debut Djazaïr Johara—she appeared at the Festival Voix de Femmes in Bruxelles; the following year she performed in London. By preserving the lineage of Algerian gnawa musicians, El Bécharia functions as a living bridge to earlier eras while attracting the young listeners of the 2000s.
El Bécharia sings in French as well as Soudania, the ancient language of her people, and maintained a busy schedule of stage and television engagements. In 2002—the year she issued her Label Bleu debut Djazaïr Johara—she appeared at the Festival Voix de Femmes in Bruxelles; the following year she performed in London. By preserving the lineage of Algerian gnawa musicians, El Bécharia functions as a living bridge to earlier eras while attracting the young listeners of the 2000s.
Albums
Singles
