It wasn’t that long ago that she was a hairdresser and her life was “monotonous”. Two weeks ago, the Quebecer Fatima-Zarah Hafdi, alias La Zarra, made a triumphant entry in a convertible and walked the red carpet of NRJ Music, in Cannes, where she was in the running for the Revelation of the Year award.
Pinch it, someone! “It’s a bit of a dream,” recognizes the singer, online from France, who offers these days Treachery, his first album.
We already talked about La Zarra, earlier this year, and her clever mix of rap and French variety, which she coats with her distinctive deep voice that rolls her “rs” like a certain Edith Piaf.
Until recently, she was a closely guarded secret, barely having a few tracks to listen to on the web.
This is no longer the case. Dancing sound extract You will go away, launched in mid-2021 and listened to more than four million times on Spotify (the clip has 4.4 million views on YouTube), has definitely brought it out of the shadows.
Especially in France, where we fall for the one who likes to play it glamour, in her videos and in photos, with her retro chic dresses and wide-brimmed hats.
“I have a lot of crushes for the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and 1970s era. I try to dress in outfits that I like and have a lot to say about me. I want to be elegant, but I don’t want to be provocative. I accept my body and my forms, I accept what I give off. It would be a lie to say that I don’t have confidence in myself today, ”she said.
It all started with betrayal
Directed with producer Benny Adam, her creative right-hand man and the one who discovered her, in a way, Treachery bears a strong musical signature. His songs, sort of hyphens between the past and the present, are built on urban rhythms superimposed on a neat pen and a sensual song.
The title of the album, which imposed itself quickly in the process, is evocative.
Out of modesty, La Zarra (who does not disclose her age) does not go into details, but an injury, which could be a breakup in love, has guided her trajectory. “Everything was born from a feeling of betrayal, of hatred, which I managed to transpose in a more romanticized and poetic way”, confides the one for whom music has changed everything.
“I changed jobs because I didn’t like what I was doing, I didn’t really know where I was going and the music fell just like that, by chance, by the grace of God, on my path. It saved me from a monotonous life in which I had nothing to offer to anyone or to society. “
The United States in the crosshairs
Now the world is within reach. France, where she spends most of her time, already monopolizes her. A priority ?
“I don’t like the word priority, it sounds like we are leaving another continent when we are not. On the other hand, from a logistical point of view, my artistic direction is in France, so it is logical and normal that I am here. There is a great demand and I have to be there to meet it. “
La Zarra promises to come to Quebec, which he misses, for TV appearances in early 2022 and wishes to sing in festivals next summer.
Otherwise, the other countries of the European Francophonie have also raised their hands, as has the United States, she slips into the conversation.
“I can’t say too much, but things are starting to move there. “
Are we witnessing the birth of a great star?
♦ L’album Treachery, from La Zarra, on sale now.
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