Faudel

Faudel Belloua (Arabic: فُضيل بيلوى; born June 6, 1978) is a French raï singer and actor of Algerian descent. He released studio albums, notably Baïda, Samra, Un Autre Soleil and Mundial Corrida and the live album 1,2,3 Soleils jointly with Khaled and Rachid Taha. Born in Mantes-la-Jolie, a suburb of Paris, and raised by Algerian-born immigrant parents in the Val Fourré neighborhood, the young Faudel was introduced to Algerian raï by his grandmother who performed regularly in Oran with the meddahates, groups of female musicians who play traditional folk raï at weddings and other family occasions. It was Amaria, Faudel's grandmother, who was largely responsible for teaching him traditional raï rhythms during the summer holidays in Algeria. His first public singing experience was during a family wedding celebration in Oran, Algeria. Faudel started to cover the popular tracks by Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami at 12, after which he soon fronted the popular band Les Etoiles du Raï (The Rai Stars). Faudel and Les Etoiles du Rai soon became a well-known fixture at the youth club and other local associations in Mantes-la-Jolie. Faudel then went on to appear at clubs throughout the Paris suburbs, performing covers of Khaled, Zahouania and Mami's greatest hits, accompanied by a pre-recorded backing tape. The turning-point of Faudel's early career came at the age of 13 when he was spotted at Printemps de Bourges by Mohamed Mestar (aka Momo). Mestar, an ex-guitarist, had recently set up an…