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NAJAT AÂTABOU

THE LION OF THE ATLAS

Suffused with emotion, Najat Aâtabou’s voice is among the strongest in popular Moroccan music. Her radiation and voice become explosive on the stage, while some of her movements originate in the jedba, the ritual trance of Northern Africa. Her dynamic performance and forward-looking viewpoints take her right into the hearts of Moroccan audiences and have made her a star.

Najat Aâtabou (44) by now has 25 albums to her name and enjoys immense popularity, in her own country and also among Moroccan communities abroad. The Chemical Brothers scored a worldwide hit with Calvanize in 2005 (over one million singles sold). This song is an excellent example of the musical impact the sample of Just Tell Me The Truth by Najat Aâtabou has on it.
"In my own, self-written traditional songs I try to sketch a fair picture of Moroccan women. I also try to defend their rights and to change prevailing views.

”In her songs she does not shrink back from presenting awkward issues. One of her songs for instance is about women having a love affair with a married man. Her message is: go out and find yourself another (‘Shoufi Ghirou’)! Just imagine something like this in a country where such relationships are a punishable offence. “I also put forward issues like adultery, infidelity and domestic violence and sing about girls abandoned by their boyfriends when they turn out to be pregnant. I advocate that parents must stand by their children at all times. I challenge prevailing views.”