Biography
Iness Mezel brings a vocal presence that balances forceful intensity with softness and allure. Working as a singer and songwriter, she weaves funk, soul, and jazz into a multi-cultural style shaped by the Amazigh and Berber traditions of her Kabyle lineage in North Africa. Originally named Fatiha Messaoudi and raised by a Franco-Italian mother and an Algerian-Kabyle father, she passed her first seven years in the modest Paris suburb of St. Ouen, after which her family relocated to Algeria and later returned to France in Riom-es-Montagnes, where she first cultivated an interest in pop music.
Christopher Cross and Elton John served as early influences, prompting her to study piano at the local conservatory. After earning a law degree from the University of Paris, she trained in singing with Nicole Maison of La Camerata de Paris. She regularly substituted as a vocalist for groups in the Chatelet district, explored jazz improvisation with continental vocalist Sara Lazarus, and performed in the backing ensemble of Algerian musician Djur Djura before forming a duo with her sister Malika.
Their first album, Berber Singing Goes World, appeared in 1997 and was reissued two years later under the title Wedfel. Personal circumstances led Malika to withdraw, so Mezel carried on solo, issuing Len in 2003. Eight years passed before she released her third album, Beyond the Trance, created in partnership with Robert Plant guitarist Justin Adams.
Christopher Cross and Elton John served as early influences, prompting her to study piano at the local conservatory. After earning a law degree from the University of Paris, she trained in singing with Nicole Maison of La Camerata de Paris. She regularly substituted as a vocalist for groups in the Chatelet district, explored jazz improvisation with continental vocalist Sara Lazarus, and performed in the backing ensemble of Algerian musician Djur Djura before forming a duo with her sister Malika.
Their first album, Berber Singing Goes World, appeared in 1997 and was reissued two years later under the title Wedfel. Personal circumstances led Malika to withdraw, so Mezel carried on solo, issuing Len in 2003. Eight years passed before she released her third album, Beyond the Trance, created in partnership with Robert Plant guitarist Justin Adams.
Albums
