Khadja Nin
Khadja Nin, a world music sensation in Europe, is a native of Burundi, and sings in French, Swahili and Kirundi. Despite the foreign languages, the emotional power of her music transcends cultural barriers.
Some people's lives are so amazing that they could easily inspire a novel. Chad's life is such a story. Born and raised in Burundi—a small African country squeezed in between Zaire and Tanzania—she grew up peacefully in a family of eight children. As a child she loved to sing and took her first musical steps with the encouragement of her familty. When she turned 16, she left her family and home and went to Zaire to pursue her studies. At the age of 17, she met her future husband and moved with him into the forest, where they ran some lodges for tourists. She also gave birth to her son and thought that music, for her, was a dream that would never come true.
But in 1980, her life changed dramatically. She left Africa for Europe with her new family—a move which proved very tough. She first lost some of her close relatives, then her husband suddenly died. She was left alone with my child in a foreign country, and didn't know anybody. She took a series of menial jobs just to make a living. Then, in 1985, she met musician Nicolas Fiszman, which proved to be a turning point in her life. Nicolas fell artistically in love with "this princess from out of the blue" and soon they started to write songs together.
The duo had to wait until 1991 to sign their first recording contract. Immediately seduced by this duet with a unique blend of African and European sounds, BMG signed them on the spot. Their eponymous debut album was critically acclaimed and a commercial success, motivating her decision to dedicate herself exclusively to music from then on.
In 1994, she released her second album, Ya Pili, and began touring heavily. Real fame came in 1996, when the most powerful French TV channel, TF1, selected Khadja Nin as its "summer act," promoting her third album, Sambolera by broadcasting one of the artist's videos several times a day that Summer. Sambolera subsequently sold over 420,000 copies worldwide; a huge success for her partners and a big acknowledgement from France and the rest of Europe.
In 1998, Khadja released YAwas released, bringing her to the attention of North American audiences for the first time. — Courtesy Calabash Music