Faudel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Faudel
Faudel at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
Background information
Native name	فضيل
Birth name	Faudel Belloua
Also known as	The Little Prince of Raï (Le petit prince du raï)
Born	(1978-06-06) June 6, 1978 (age 47) Paris, France
Genres	Raï, Pop, R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer, actor
Labels	Mercury/Universal

Faudel Belloua (Arabic: فُضيل بيلوى; born June 6, 1978) is a famous French singer and actor. He is known for his unique style of music called raï, which comes from Algeria. Faudel has released several popular albums like Baïda and Samra. He also performed in a very successful live concert and album called 1,2,3 Soleils with two other big raï stars, Khaled and Rachid Taha.

About Faudel's Life

His Early Years in Music

Faudel was born in Mantes-la-Jolie, a town near Paris, France. His parents were immigrants from Algeria. He grew up in a neighborhood called Val Fourré. Faudel learned about Algerian raï music from his grandmother, Amaria. She used to perform traditional raï music at weddings and family parties in Oran, Algeria. She taught him many raï rhythms during his summer holidays there.

Faudel first sang in public at a family wedding in Algeria. When he was 12, he started singing popular songs by famous raï artists like Cheb Khaled and Cheb Mami. Soon after, he became the lead singer of a band called Les Etoiles du Raï (The Rai Stars). Faudel and his band became well-known in their local area. He performed in clubs around Paris, singing covers of popular raï hits.

A big moment in Faudel's early career happened when he was 13. A former guitarist named Mohamed Mestar, also known as Momo, discovered him at a music festival. Momo offered to help Faudel with his music career. Thanks to Momo, Faudel started creating his own songs and performing with other artists. He even played at some concerts for Cheb Mami and MC Solaar. Faudel studied other subjects like accounting, but his love for raï music led him to become a professional singer.

In 1995, two French TV shows made documentaries about Faudel, showing how popular he was becoming. The next year, he was chosen to represent his region at a big music festival called Printemps de Bourges. His amazing performance there made him even more popular.

Faudel went on many concert tours. Momo helped him get a record deal. They even went to New York to record some songs. After his great performance at Printemps de Bourges, a major record company called Mercury signed Faudel. His music mixes traditional Amazigh raï rhythms with modern guitar, reggae, Afro-beat, and flamenco sounds. This unique style was ready for the big time!

After signing a contract to make five albums, Faudel decided to leave school to focus on his singing. He toured all over France and Europe, performing with famous raï stars like Khaled and Cheb Mami. Faudel's catchy new sound was also used in the soundtrack for the film Elle est Belle la Vie.

His First Album: Baïda

The French media quickly noticed Faudel, calling him "The Little Prince of Raï." He soon went into the studio to record his first album, Baïda (which means "Blonde"). The album came out in October 1997. It mixed a modern raï style with meaningful lyrics. Faudel's songs talked about many things, from heartbreak to the experiences of young immigrants in France. The first song from the album, "Tellement N'brick" (I Love You So Much), became a huge hit on the radio.

Because "Tellement N'brick" was so successful, Baïda was nominated for an award in the 'traditional music' category at the Victoires de la Musique awards in February 1998. Faudel was also invited to perform at the Printemps de Bourges Festival again.

After his first album, Faudel performed many concerts across the country. On September 26, he performed with Khaled and Rachid Taha at Bercy stadium in Paris. About 15,000 raï fans came to watch! The live album of this concert, called 1.2.3. Soleils, was a huge success. The three raï singers were invited to perform on many top TV shows.

In 1997, the music video for his song "Tellement Je T'aime" featured Olga Kurylenko, who later became a famous model and actress.

In early 1999, the popular trio (Faudel, Taha, and Khaled) released a new single. It was an Arabic version of a famous French song called "Comme d'habitude" (which is the French version of "My Way"). This song was instantly popular. On February 20, 1999, the trio performed it at the Victoires de la Musique awards. That night, Faudel won the award for Best Newcomer of the Year, voted by TV viewers. After this big win, Faudel performed two amazing concerts at the Olympia in March.

In the summer of 1999, Faudel went on a short tour in Tunisia. He performed six concerts, which brought his big "Faudel Tour" to a successful end. Faudel's career kept growing, and his modern raï sound attracted many new fans. His songs are important because they share the hopes and feelings of young French-Algerians growing up in Paris.

More Albums: Samra, Un Autre Soleil, and Mundial Corrida

In the summer of 2000, Faudel performed at the Summer Stage Festival in New York. He then started working on his next album, Samra. This album had 6 French songs and 7 Arabic songs. The songs were created by Nabil Khalidi and Goh Hotoda, and produced by Mohamed Mestar. Samra stayed true to raï traditions but also added modern electronic sounds, Arabic pop, and even some Latino touches. For example, the song "Salsa raï" was a duet with Yuri Buenaventura. In this album, Faudel focused more on love songs, but one song still talked about Mantes-la-Jolie, where he grew up. Samra was released in February 2001 and became very popular in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.

In 2003, Faudel went back to the studio to record a new album. On September 2, 2003, he released Un Autre Soleil, which was his most mature album yet. He worked with his record company to include both Arabic and French songs. With the help of songwriter Patrick Dupond, Faudel wrote very personal lyrics, like those for "Petit Etre," which was about his newborn son. The first single, "Je Veux Vivre," was written by Marion Michau. Other bands also helped with the album. Un Autre Soleil had a strong Mediterranean feel and helped Faudel reach an even bigger audience.

Faudel then worked on his fourth album, Mundial Corrida, which was released in September 2006. In Mundial Corrida, Faudel celebrated his French and Algerian identity. The first single, "Mon Pays", was played a lot on the radio and showed his pride in both cultures. The famous French singer and songwriter Pascal Obispo also wrote several songs for this album.

Recent Music

In 2017, Faudel recorded a song called "Rani" with singer Mohammed Assaf, who won Arab Idol in 2013. This song was in both Arabic and French.

Another song, "All Day, All Night", which he recorded with RedOne, was released on April 26, 2018. In 2019, he released a new song called Mon Dieu, followed by Histoire Chaba and Smile in 2020.

Faudel's Acting Career

Besides singing, Faudel also became an actor. He took a role in the French film Battement d’ailes du papillon (Happenstance). After that, he kept looking for the right movie parts to become a big screen star.

He also acted in a TV series called Sami. In this show, he played a student from Tunisia who worked as a supervisor in a French high school.

In 2004, Faudel appeared in another film called Bab el web, alongside Samy Naceri and Julie Gayet. He played a young man from a neighborhood in Algiers, Algeria.

Faudel's Personal Life

Faudel has three nationalities: French, Moroccan, and Algerian. In February 2002, he became a father when his partner gave birth to their son, Enzy.

Faudel's Music Albums

Studio Albums

Live Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles

See also

In Spanish: Faudel para niños