Faudel
Faudel is a French raï singer of Algerian descent, known since the late 1990s as the little prince of raï. In 1998 he shared the stage of 1, 2, 3 Soleils with Khaled and Rachid Taha. He was born Faudel Belloua on 6 June 1978 in Mantes-la-Jolie, west of Paris.
Faudel is a French raï singer of Algerian descent, known since the late 1990s as the little prince of raï. In 1998 he shared the stage of 1, 2, 3 Soleils with Khaled and Rachid Taha. He was born Faudel Belloua on 6 June 1978 in Mantes-la-Jolie, west of Paris.
The boy grew up in the Val Fourré estate. His family comes from Tlemcen, in western Algeria.
At 12 he formed the group Les Étoiles du Raï, and his first album, Baïda, came out in 1997. Baïda was certified double gold, and in 1999 he won the Victoire de la musique for newcomer of the year.
On 26 September 1998 he sang with Khaled and Rachid Taha at Paris-Bercy, in the concert 1, 2, 3 Soleils. The live album came out in November 1998, and the single Abdel Kader was certified gold.
Later albums include Samra (2001), Un autre soleil (2003), Mundial Corrida (2006) and Bled Memory (2010), a set of raï classics. He also acted in films, such as Bab el web by Merzak Allouache.
The singer has lived in Marrakech since 2011. In early 2026 he toured France with the I Gotta Feeling show.
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