Amina (singer)
Encyclopedia
Amina Annabi (born 5 March 1962, Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...

, Tunisia) is a French-Tunisian singer-songwriter and actress, most famous for finishing second in the tied 1991 Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest 1991
The Eurovision Song Contest 1991 was the 36th Eurovision Song Contest and was held on 4 May 1991 in Rome. Due to the Gulf War and mounting tensions in Yugoslavia, RAI decided to move the contest from Sanremo to Rome, which was perceived to be more secure....

, held in Rome. Amina finished second after a countback, scoring equal 146 points alongside Carola
Carola Häggkvist
Carola Maria Häggkvist , better known as simply Carola, is a Swedish singer and occasional songwriter. She has been among Sweden's most popular performers since the early 1980s, and has released albums ranging from pop and disco to hymns and folk music...

 from Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

Early life

Amina was born in a music family. Her grandmother was a musician and one of her uncles was involved in the in setting up the Tabarka Festival in Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

, so Amina got the chance to see a number of music stars, going along to concerts by Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....

, James Brown
James Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

 and the famous Algerian diva Warda
Warda
Warda or WARDA may mean:*Warda Al-Jazairia, an Algerian singer*The West Africa Rice Development Association, an agricultural research centre based in Bouaké, Côte d'Ivoire* Wardha, Maharashtra...

. It was at the Tabarka music festival that Amina would get to meet the young Senegalese star Wasis Diop
Wasis Diop
Wasis Diop is a Senegalese musician of international renown, known for blending traditional Senegalese folk music with modern pop and jazz...

. They became friends and they had the opportunity to work together some years later. In 1975 Amina and her mother, a talented musician and composer, moved together in Paris.

Three years later Amina formed her own group, after showing her talent in singing and dancing a variety of music styles, from soul to traditional aigypt songs. The group made appearances in many local schools but it was in 1982 when Amina started to built her solo career. By that time she got involved with Radio Nova, Paris' leading radio station in world music. One of the producers of the station was Martin Meissonnier
Martin Meissonnier
Martin Meissonnier is a French journalist, producer, director and composer. Formerly a journalist for Libération, he has made a specialty of discovering new types of music...

. He started to work with Amina and soon they became a couple—their daughter was born in 1986. In 1983 she won a music contest with a rap
Rap
Rap may refer to:*Rapping, performance in which rhyming lyrics are used, with or without musical accompaniment ; while an MC performs spoken verses in time to a beat/ melody**Hip hop subculture**Hip hop music...

 song, "Shehérazade", influenced by Arab rhythms. It was released as a CD single. Amina began performing in Paris around this time.

Album

After recording an album with the Japanese musician Yasuaki Shimizu
Yasuaki Shimizu
is a composer, saxophonist and producer. He is known for his interpretations of the music of J.S. Bach, in particular the "Cello Suites 1-6" re-arranged for and performed on tenor saxophone....

, she became extremely popular in Japan where she even toured in 1987. She did backing vocals on an album by Haruomi Hosano and she launched a career in cinema. In 1989 she played a supporting role in the film Maman and in 1990 she worked with Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...

 for his movie The Sheltering Sky
The Sheltering Sky
The Sheltering Sky is a 1949 novel by Paul Bowles. The story centers on Port and Kit Moresby, a married couple originally from New York who travel to the North African desert accompanied by their friend Tunner...

.

The same year she recorded her debut album, Yalil (Night). The album gained excellent reviews and it was released in 22 countries around the world. It was also released in the USA where it peaked at #5 at the Billboard world music charts.

Eurovision

In 1991 Amina won 'Le prix Piaf' as Best Female Singer of the Year, then she went on to get involved in Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...

's peace project during the Gulf War. Joining a host of international stars in the studio, Amina took part in the recording of an EP which featured a new version of Lennon
Lennon
The name Lennon can refer to one of several individuals or groups:* John Lennon, singer, musician, poet and songwriter famous as a member of The Beatles** Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon's first wife...

's "Give Peace a Chance". The same year she participated in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...

 held in Rome with one song of her own, entitled Le Dernier qui a parlé.... She tied with the Swedish participant for the first place but due to EBU's rules, the French entry ranked 2nd and the award went to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

She read the French jury's votes during the final of Melodifestivalen 2010
Melodifestivalen 2010
Melodifestivalen 2010 was a Swedish song contest held between February and March 2010. It was the selection for the 50th song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was the 49th edition of Melodifestivalen...

.

Music and Cinema

Right after the Eurovision Contest, Amina recorded her second album, Wa di yé (Love is Unique) and she toured around France to promote it. In 1993 Amina got to play the lead female role opposite Spanish star Miguel Bosé
Miguel Bosé
Miguel Dominguín Bosé is a Latin Grammy-winning Spanish/Italian musician and actor.-Early life:Bosé was born in San Fernando Hospital in Panama City, Panama, the son of the famous Italian actress Lucia Bosé and the legendary bullfighter Luis Miguel Dominguín. He is also a cousin of Carmen...

 in La Nuit sacrée. Later that year she got involved with an English film entitled The Hour of the Pig. Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky
Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky is a Soviet-American and Russian film director, film producer and screenwriter....

 chose Amina to play in his film Ulysse, which was broadcasted on usa networks.

In 1994 Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...

 asked Amina to guest on his album, Paris, along with Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve
Catherine Deneuve is a French actress. She gained recognition for her portrayal of aloof and mysterious beauties in films such as Repulsion and Belle de jour . Deneuve was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1993 for her performance in Indochine; she also won César Awards for that...

 and Françoise Hardy
Françoise Hardy
Françoise Madeleine Hardy is a French singer, actress and astrologer. Hardy is an iconic figure in fashion, music and style. She is married to the singer and movie actor Jacques Dutronc.-Biography:...

. After that Amina took a long break travelling to her homeland and she was back in 1999 with new albums and concerts around the globe.

Songs

  • 3ada El Ghazal
  • Alguien canto
  • Annabi
  • Allah Ya Moulena
  • Atame
  • Belly dance
  • C'est le dernier qui a parlé
  • Diki diki
  • Dis moi pourquoi
  • Ederlezi
  • Ezzayakoum
  • Habibi
  • La mauvaise graine
  • Lirrili
  • Mektoubi
  • My Man
  • Waadileh
  • Ya baba
  • Zahra

Filmography

  • Maman
    Maman
    Maman is a sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. The sculpture, which resembles a spider, is over 30ft high and over 33ft wide, with a sac containing 26 marble eggs. Its abdomen and thorax are made up of ribbed bronze. The title is the familiar French word for Mother.Maman is amongst the...

     (1990)
  • The Sheltering Sky
    The Sheltering Sky (film)
    The Sheltering Sky is a 1990 British-Italian drama film directed by Bernardo Bertolucci starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich. The film is based on the 1949 novel by Paul Bowles about a couple who journey to northern Africa in the hopes of rekindling their marriage but soon fall prey to the...

     (1990)
  • Belle histoire, La (1992)
  • Nuit sacrée, La (1993)
  • The Hour of the Pig (1993)
  • Cleopatra (TV) (1999)
  • Mécanique des femmes, La (2000)
  • Philosophale (2001)
  • Inch'Allah Dimanche
    Inch'Allah Dimanche
    Inch'Allah Dimanche is a 2001 French/Algerian movie by Yamina Benguigui about the life of an Algerian immigrant woman in France. The film won a variety of international awards, including the 2001 International Critics' Award at the Toronto International Film Festival...

     (2001)
  • Dreams of Trespass (2002)
  • Marins perdus, Les (2003)
  • Il était une fois dans l'oued (2005)
  • Comme tout le monde (2006)
  • Cairo Time
    Cairo Time
    Cairo Time is a 2009 film by Canadian director Ruba Nadda. It is a romantic drama about a brief, unexpected love affair that catches two people completely off-guard....

     (2009)

External links

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