With diverse origins (her father is Kabyle and her mother Franco-Italian), Iness Mezel was born in Saint-Ouen, then moved to the Algerian capital Algiers at the age of 7, where she was immersed in Kabyle culture. Returning to the Auvergne region of France two years later, to Riom-Es-Montagne, it was through traditional Auvergne music (notably the bourrée) that Iness Mezel developed a new relationship with music. She joined a brass band, then decided to learn the piano once she had settled in Levallois-Perret (Hauts-de-Seine). After her first compositions were forgotten in the late 1990s, she opened up to a wide range of musical styles, including funk, rock and pop, before unveiling Lën in 2003, which she considers her first album. The tracks pay tribute to Berber chant with a funk feel, before Iness Mezel takes a rockier approach on Beyond the Trance, released in 2011. With its strong cultural mix, the album reveals the singer's Algerian roots as well as her links with France and her affection for Anglophile music, as she seeks to open up to the English market. This is evidenced by a tour of London and articles in The Guardian, in parallel with the promotion of [strong], an album released in 2015 that continues to emphasize commitment and cultural cross-fertilization.
Read All
Read Less