Massi's music, which prominently features the acoustic guitar, displays Western musical style influences such as rock, country or the Portuguese fado, rather than traditional Algerian or Raï musical styles performed by most Algerian musicians. Massi sings in Algerian Arabic, French, and occasionally English and Kabyle (Berber language), often employing multiple languages in the same song.
Massi was born in Algiers, Algeria to a poor Muslim family of seven children. Encouraged by her older brother, she began studying music at a young age, singing and playing guitar. Growing up Massi immersed herself in American country and roots music, musical styles that would later heavily influence her songwriting. At the age of seventeen she joined a flamenco band, but quickly grew bored with the group and left.
In the early 1990s, Massi joined the Algerian political rock band Atakor, who were influenced by Western rock bands such as Led Zeppelin and U2. She recorded and performed with the group for seven years, releasing a successful album and two popular music videos. The band, however, with its political lyrics and growing popularity, became a target. Massi disguised herself by cutting her hair and dressing in male clothing, but she nevertheless became the target of a series of death threats. In 1999, she left the band and moved to Paris, France.
In 1999, Massi was invited to perform at the Femmes d'Algerie ("Women from Algeria") festival in Paris, which led to a recording contract with Island Records. In June of 2001, she released her solo debut album Raoui ("Storyteller"), which All Music Guide compared to 1960s American folk music. Sung mostly in French and Arabic, the album became a critical and commercial success in France. The following year she was nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the Radio 3 World Music Awards.
In 2003, she released her second album Deb ("Heart-broken"). The album's lyrics were more personal rather than political and it became one of the most successful North African albums worldwide. Three years later, Massi released her third album Mesk Elil ("Honeysuckle"). The album expanded on the themes of love and loss that had been explored on Deb and featured duets with Daby Toure and Rabah Khalfa.
Studio albums
* 2001: Raoui
* 2003: Deb
* 2006: Mesk Elil
* 2010: Ô Houria
* 2015: El Mutakallimun
* 2019: Oumniya
* 2022: Sequana
https://souad-massi.com/en/
Nacera
Souad Massi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aujourd'hui je pleure du sang
On m'a mariée femme
Echangée comme une marchandise
Aujourd'hui je pleure toutes mes larmes.
La tristesse habite mon coeur
J'ai oublié le bonheur
Et je passe les détails.
J'ai le coeur plein et je ne sais par quoi commencer
Par un mari violent qui chaque jour tombe le masque
Je suis patiente et soumise
Quand pleuvent insultes et coups.
Il assombrit mon ciel
Et je n'ose plus lever la tête
Je bafouille quand je parle
Et je n'ai plus aucune estime de moi.
La tristesse habite mon coeur
J'ai oublié le bonheur
Je souffre depuis longtemps
Et je passe les détails
Il assombrit mon ciel
Et je n'ose plus lever la tête
Je bafouille quand je parle
Et je n'ai plus aucune estime de moi.
Les mauvaises langues parlent de moi
et s'étonnent de mon divorce.
Tous me lancent des insultes,
M'épient quand je sors.
Vous connaissez bien cette mentalité?
Quoi que je fasse je suis piégée.
Pour quoi je suis née femme?
J'aurai préféré ne pas naître.
Je n'en peu plus de cette injustice.
The lyrics of Souad Massi's "Nacera" tell the story of a woman who wanted nothing more than to study and learn, but was instead forced into a marriage that has left her heartbroken and oppressed. She mourns the loss of her potential, wishing instead that she had never been born a woman in a society that values men over women. The sadness she feels is palpable in her words, as she describes her life as one stripped of happiness and filled with the pain and suffering of a violent husband who constantly degrades and demeans her.
In the first verse, she laments the fact that she was married off like a piece of merchandise, and now cries blood tears from the unbearable sadness she feels. Her heart is filled with grief and she has forgotten what happiness feels like. The second verse illustrates her submission to her abusive husband, suffering his insults and physical violence every day. His darkening of her skies has left her unable to hold her head up high or even speak without stuttering, leaving her with no self-esteem.
The final verse describes the societal shame and judgment she endures, as she seeks a way out of her marriage. She feels trapped and helpless, hemmed in by a world that sees her as inferior and unworthy of respect or autonomy. The song as a whole is a powerful portrayal of the struggles of women in patriarchal societies, and highlights the need to address and dismantle systems of oppression that prevent individuals from reaching their full potential.
Line by Line Meaning
Je voulais étudier et apprendre
I wanted to study and learn
Aujourd'hui je pleure du sang
Today I cry bloody tears
On m'a mariée femme
They married me off as a woman
Echangée comme une marchandise
Exchanged like a commodity
Aujourd'hui je pleure toutes mes larmes.
Today I cry all my tears.
La tristesse habite mon coeur
Sadness lives in my heart
J'ai oublié le bonheur
I forgot happiness
Je souffre depuis longtemps
I have suffered for a long time
Et je passe les détails.
And I'll spare you the details.
J'ai le coeur plein et je ne sais par quoi commencer
My heart is full and I don't know where to start
Par un mari violent qui chaque jour tombe le masque
By a violent husband who every day reveals his true self
Je suis patiente et soumise
I am patient and submissive
Quand pleuvent insultes et coups.
When insults and blows rain down.
Il assombrit mon ciel
He darkens my sky
Et je n'ose plus lever la tête
And I am afraid to look up
Je bafouille quand je parle
I stutter when I speak
Et je n'ai plus aucune estime de moi.
And I have no self-esteem left.
Les mauvaises langues parlent de moi
The gossipmongers talk about me
et s'étonnent de mon divorce.
and are surprised by my divorce.
Tous me lancent des insultes,
Everyone throws insults at me,
M'épient quand je sors.
Spies on me when I go out.
Vous connaissez bien cette mentalité?
Do you know this mentality well?
Quoi que je fasse je suis piégée.
No matter what I do, I am trapped.
Pour quoi je suis née femme?
Why was I born a woman?
J'aurai préféré ne pas naître.
I would have preferred not to be born.
Je n'en peu plus de cette injustice.
I can't take this injustice anymore.
Writer(s): Michel Francoise, Souad Bendjael
Contributed by Elizabeth N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.