French R&B vocalist Nâdiya swapped her track-and-field triumphs for a recording career, achieving her first major breakthrough in 2004 via the single “Parle-moi.” Born Nâdiya Zighem on June 19, 1973, in Tours, France, she grew up in a sizable Algerian household that also included her brother Kader, who would later claim the French boxing title. Ranked the nation’s top 800-meter runner in 1989, she stepped away from competition at age twenty, moved to Paris, and issued the overlooked 1999 single “Dénoue Mes Mains.” Following a hiatus to raise her family, she reappeared in 2001 with the Stomy Bugsy collaboration “Aucun Dieu Ne Pourra Me Pardoner.” Its successor, “J’ai Confiance en Toi,” became her initial French Top 40 entry, while the summer release “Chaque Fois” climbed to number 27. Late that year she delivered her debut album, Changer les Choses; despite the momentum of prior singles, the project underperformed commercially yet earned a Victoires de la Musique nomination. Emerging from a two-year absence in early 2004, Nâdiya unveiled “Parle-moi,” a call for improved dialogue between parents and children. The track opened at number 79 before surging to number two within a week and lingering on the charts for nearly six months. June brought the full-length 16/9, which logged 93 non-consecutive weeks on the listings, buoyed by the international success of the Smartzee-assisted “Et C’est Parti…” and the follow-up “Si Loin de Vous.” Another Smartzee pairing, “Tous Ces Mots,” introduced her self-titled third album, released in mid-2006. The Top Five hits “Roc” and “Amies-Ennemies” propelled the set to the summit of the French album chart. In 2007 she issued La Source, a retrospective collection that blended earlier singles with reworked material and five newly recorded songs. Late 2008 saw the arrival of her fourth studio effort, Électron Libre, which included joint tracks with Enrique Iglesias and Kelly Rowland.
