Najat Aatabou
Encyclopedia
Najat Aâtabou is a Moroccan
singer, songwriter and composer. She is perhaps best known for her song "Hadi Kedba Bayna" ("This is an obvious lie") which was sampled by the Chemical Brothers on their song Galvanize
.
The tape was sold illegally throughout Morocco and the song "J'en ai marre" ("I've had enough of it") became especially popular. Her family soon found out about her singing and did not accept her choice of vocation.Her brothers threatened to kill her if she continued. She was afraid and decided to run away from home. She fled to the local music shop, that being her first choice because "they played music there", as she later said.
That very day a coincidence happened. A famous Moroccan music producer walked into the shop, looking for Najat Aâtabou after he had heard the song "J'en ai marre". He asked for her trust and to join him in Casablanca
. Having no choice, she left for Casablanca, where she would stay for three years, living with the mother of the music producer. After these three years, her family found her and they made up.
, she told the story of the modern Moroccan woman and tried to improve feminism
within Morocco. In 1992, she scored her biggest hit, "Hedi Kedba Bayna" which was extremely popular throughout the whole Arab world, Spain and France. Hedi Kedba Bayna is about a woman whose husband is cheating on her. The title literally means "This lie is obvious". Another song "Shoufi Ghirou", is about women who are in a relationship with married men, while in Morocco it is illegal to have such a relationship. Her songs have evoked social and political discussion in Morocco and improved a lot on the area of feminism.
She's also one of the subjects of the film Morocco Swings about two generations of Moroccan singers.
in the south of France
and still records songs.
Her discography is included on Rolling Stone magazine's website.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
singer, songwriter and composer. She is perhaps best known for her song "Hadi Kedba Bayna" ("This is an obvious lie") which was sampled by the Chemical Brothers on their song Galvanize
Galvanize (song)
"Galvanize" is a song by British electronic duo The Chemical Brothers and the first single released from their 2005 album Push the Button. It was released a week before the album's release and peaked at No. 3 in the UK charts . It won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording in February 2006...
.
Early life
Najat Aâtabou was born into a lower class family, with five brothers and four sisters. She dreamed of becoming a lawyer, but her life would take a different direction. Singing was her favorite thing to do and she would walk to school every morning singing songs. When she reached the age of thirteen, she would sneak out of her bedroom window and sing at local weddings and school parties for money. At one of these parties, a guest recorded her voice with a tape recorder.The tape was sold illegally throughout Morocco and the song "J'en ai marre" ("I've had enough of it") became especially popular. Her family soon found out about her singing and did not accept her choice of vocation.Her brothers threatened to kill her if she continued. She was afraid and decided to run away from home. She fled to the local music shop, that being her first choice because "they played music there", as she later said.
That very day a coincidence happened. A famous Moroccan music producer walked into the shop, looking for Najat Aâtabou after he had heard the song "J'en ai marre". He asked for her trust and to join him in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
. Having no choice, she left for Casablanca, where she would stay for three years, living with the mother of the music producer. After these three years, her family found her and they made up.
Career
As a song writer and singer of the Moroccan ChansonChanson
A chanson is in general any lyric-driven French song, usually polyphonic and secular. A singer specialising in chansons is known as a "chanteur" or "chanteuse" ; a collection of chansons, especially from the late Middle Ages and Renaissance, is also known as a chansonnier.-Chanson de geste:The...
, she told the story of the modern Moroccan woman and tried to improve feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
within Morocco. In 1992, she scored her biggest hit, "Hedi Kedba Bayna" which was extremely popular throughout the whole Arab world, Spain and France. Hedi Kedba Bayna is about a woman whose husband is cheating on her. The title literally means "This lie is obvious". Another song "Shoufi Ghirou", is about women who are in a relationship with married men, while in Morocco it is illegal to have such a relationship. Her songs have evoked social and political discussion in Morocco and improved a lot on the area of feminism.
She's also one of the subjects of the film Morocco Swings about two generations of Moroccan singers.
Personal life
Najat Aâtabou is married to Moroccan music producer Hassan Dikouk and has three children. She currently resides in a luxurious chaletChalet
A chalet , also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, native to the Alpine region, made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof with wide, well-supported eaves set at right angles to the front of the house.-Definition and origin:...
in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and still records songs.
Her discography is included on Rolling Stone magazine's website.