Souad Massi bringing a huge world of emotions to İstanbul

 Those who were struck by the song and took further steps to discover the musical world of Souad Massi probably unearthed a world where deep emotions met with soft melodies.

Turkish music lovers will now have a chance to encounter Massi’s musical world on Jan. 20 at the İş Sanat Concert Hall, in İstanbul’s Levent district. Born in Algeria, where she began performing on stage at the age of 17, Massi will play songs from her latest album, “O Houria,” to Turkish fans on Friday evening.

“I started performing on stage at a very young age,” says Massi in an interview with Today’s Zaman, telling the story of how she started making music. “I started with a flamenco group at the beginning and then continued with a rock group called ‘Atakor.’ Actually, it was my brother Hassan, also a musician, who encouraged me to play the guitar,” says Massi, adding: “I loved singing a lot because I grew up in a family that loved music. I am really lucky in that sense. It was an important opportunity for me to have two brothers who were musicians. They really supported my music career in every sense. Frankly, this is not a very common situation in countries like ours.”

However, faced with many difficulties because of her political stance in the turmoil of 1990s Algeria, including death threats, Massi left the country after receiving an invitation from France. “In 1999 I was invited to participate in a festival in France called ‘Femme d’Algérie’ that took place in a beautiful marquee. That was quite a good beginning for me as I moved to France,” she says. Yet, she preferred not to break off from her mother country and her roots completely. “Actually, I shuttle between Algiers and Paris. I have two kids going to school in Paris, and it’s more practical for me to stay there because of my job. All of my musicians live here as well. But I feel the necessity to go to Algeria regularly. All my family lives there.”

A musical fusion

Having started in a rock band only to end up playing a totally different style, Massi believes this is a very natural evolution. “It all happened in a very natural way,” she says. “An artist searches. An artist evolves. The most important thing for an artist is to be free, open and progressive. An artist has to advance.” Actually, this was not only a result of her musical journey, but her personal journey as well. Already having a broad culture of various musical genres, Massi discovered other genres after moving to Europe. “After I left Algeria, I began to be interested in world music,” she says. “I love music and I’d like to be free in my artistic choices and pursue my instincts. I listen to various music styles which ceaselessly continue to influence my compositions. I have always liked rock, pop and country music. My parents used to love music. They used to listen to very different kinds of music, from James Brown to Jacques Brel, from Edith Piaf to music groups like AC/DC, Aerosmith, ZZ Top and flamenco music.”

The outcome of this process was Massi’s music, with Arabic, French and Berber lyrics and melodies from country, flamenco and sometimes even rock or tango. “It’s a fusion between various music styles,” is how Massi defines her own music. “And the most important thing for me is being sincere on the stage and giving and sharing real emotions. Also, I think multiculturalism is a great source of inspiration. For instance, we are Algerians, but we are also from the Mediterranean. We are both African and Arab. That’s why there are traces of flamenco, chaabi [Algerian folk music], folk rock and French chansons in my music.”

Never sticking to one sole genre of music and theme, Massi has continued to pursue musical innovations and changes in her latest album, “O Houria.” “The album is quite different to my previous album,” says Massi. “I wanted to try something different; something more like folk rock. I also dealt with humanitarian issues like freedom and violence against women. In a more general sense I have departed from Algeria’s social and political reality. Of course, the realities of my country influence my music. I believed that many things were going to change even before all the processes of transformation began, and I wrote three songs about revolution. I wrote songs about women who were victims of violence and the restrictions on freedom. I had a friend who worked at a voluntary association helping women, and I was influenced a lot by what she used to do and tell me. I was so startled to see that there was violence against women in developed countries as well as developing countries.”

Massi also has good news for her fans. “At the moment, I am working with gypsy musicians in order to record an album,” she says. “It will consist of elements of Arab, Andalusian and Flamenco music.”

Also familiar with Turkish music and culture, Massi sends a message to her listeners in İstanbul who intend to come to the concert. “I love Turkish music, and in Algeria I usually used to watch Turkish television with my family,” she notes. “My musicians and I are very happy to be with you in İstanbul. I know that İstanbul is a beautiful city. I believe that we will establish a great dialogue with music lovers in İstanbul.”