SINGERS from Algeria

Top 8

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Algerian Singers of all time. This list of famous Algerian Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Idir (1949 - 2020)

With an HPI of 52.79, Idir is the most famous Algerian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Hamid Cheriet (Kabyle: Ḥamid Ceryat; 25 October 1945 – 2 May 2020), better known by his stage name Idir, was a Kabyle Algerian singer-songwriter and musician. Referred to as the "King of Amazigh music", he is regarded as one of the most significant modern day figures in Algerian and Amazigh culture, history, and struggle. Initially training to be a geologist, his interest for music was piqued when he was called to sing on state radio as a late substitute. After finishing his compulsory military service, he moved to France in 1975 and embarked on his career in music. Idir took a hiatus during the 1980s before returning in 1993. He was a passionate advocate of the Kabyle and Berber cultures.

2. Cheb Mami (b. 1966)

With an HPI of 50.73, Cheb Mami is the 2nd most famous Algerian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Mohamed Khelifati (Arabic: محمد خليفاتي, romanized: Muḥammad Khalīfātī; born 11 July 1966), better known by his stage name Cheb Mami (شاب مامي, shābb māmī), is an Algerian musician and singer-songwriter. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometimes in Eastern Arabic dialects or in French. Internationally, he is known for contributing vocals to the 1999 Sting single "Desert Rose".

3. Biyouna (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 50.64, Biyouna is the 3rd most famous Algerian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Baya Bouzar (Arabic: باية بوزار; born September 13, 1952), known by the stage name Biyouna (بيونة), is an Algerian singer, dancer, and actress born in Belcourt, now known as Belouizdad, Algiers, Algeria.

4. Lounès Matoub (1956 - 1998)

With an HPI of 49.09, Lounès Matoub is the 4th most famous Algerian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Lounès Matoub (Kabyle: Lwennas Meɛṭub; Arabic: معطوب الوناس; 24 January 1956 – 25 June 1998) was an Algerian Kabylian singer, poet, and thinker who sparked an intellectual revolution, and mandole player who was an advocate of the Berber cause, human rights, and secularism in Algeria throughout his life. Matoub was reviled by most of the Muslim population in Algeria for his secular and atheist politics along with his militant advocacy of Berber rights, so he was unpopular among both warring parties during the Algerian Civil War. His assassination, claimed by the Armed Islamic Group (GIA), in unclear circumstances, provoked violent riots in Kabylia.

5. Cheb Hasni (1968 - 1994)

With an HPI of 47.06, Cheb Hasni is the 5th most famous Algerian Singer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Cheb Hasni (Arabic: الشاب حسني), born Hasni Chakroun (Arabic: حسني شقرون), (1 February 1968 – 29 September 1994), was an Algerian raï singer. Regarded as "The King of Sentimental Music","le rossignol du raï", his contribution to music made him one of the most celebrated Algerian artist of the late 20th century. He was popular across the Maghreb, having reached the height of his career in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

6. Souad Massi (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 45.33, Souad Massi is the 6th most famous Algerian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Souad Massi (Arabic: سعاد ماسي; born August 23, 1972) is an Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threats. In 1999, Massi performed at the Femmes d'Algérie concert in Paris, which led to a recording contract with Island Records. Massi's music, which prominently features the acoustic guitar, displays Western musical style influences such as rock, country or the Portuguese fado but sometimes incorporates oriental musical influences and oriental instruments like the oud as well as African musical stylings. Massi sings in Classical Arabic, Algerian Arabic, Egyptian Arabic, French, occasionally in English, and in the Kabyle Berber language, often employing more than one language in the same song.

7. Zaho (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 37.40, Zaho is the 7th most famous Algerian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Zehira Darabid (Arabic: زهيرة درابيد ; born May 10, 1980), known by her stage name Zaho (), is an Algerian-Canadian R&B singer.

8. Kenza Farah (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 29.36, Kenza Farah is the 8th most famous Algerian Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Kenza Farah (born 8 July 1986) is a French-Algerian singer. Her album Authentik won gold in its second week. It was followed up by Avec le cœur and Trésor.