Zaho

Zehira Darabid, who performs under the name Zaho, emerged as an Algerian-born pop-R&B vocalist, composer, and producer with her breakthrough arriving in 2008. She entered the world in Oran, Algeria, spent her childhood in the Bab Ezzouar district, and relocated with her family to Montreal, Quebec, Canada upon turning 18. Her initial recording work featured guest spots on tracks by French rappers such as La Fouine on “Basta” in 2005, Sefyu on “Un Point C Tout” in 2006, Soprano on “Hey Papi” in 2006, Don Choa on “Lune de Miel” in 2007, Tunisiano on “Citoyen du Monde” in 2007, Kery James on “Je M’Écris” in 2008, and Kamelancien on “Quand Ils Vont Partir” in 2008. Additional partnerships with Algerian performers included Cheb Mami’s “Halili” in 2006 and Idir’s “Tout Ce Temps” in 2007. Among those early appearances, Don Choa’s “Lune de Miel” achieved hit-single status by the close of 2007 and paved the way for Zaho’s solo debut. Released shortly afterward, her lead single “C’est Chelou” from the album Dima propelled her into the spotlight, climbing to number two on the French singles chart. Dima itself, noted for its Timbaland-esque production style, reached the Top 20 on the French albums chart, yielded further singles in “La Roue Tourne” and “Kif’n’dir,” and ranked among the year’s strongest commercial releases. Following this success, Zaho earned multiple year-end nominations and secured two major honors: the 2008 MTV Europe Music Award for Best French Artist and the 2009 NRJ Music Award for French Revelation of the Year. She resurfaced in 2012 with the gold-certified album Contagieuse, then, after a period of extensive touring, supplied original material for Dove Attia’s musical La Légende du Roi Arthur.