Assia, who was born in Algiers on 1 November 1973, left Algeria at the age of five when her parents moved to France to make a new life for themselves in the Paris suburb of Créteil. Young Assia grew up with a double musical culture, listening to the funk records her two brothers and sisters enjoyed, but also soaking up the traditional Arabic chaâbi sounds her parents listened to. Growing up amidst her close-knit family, Assia excelled at her studies, going on to obtain a law degree. But she also took piano lessons at the local Conservatoire in parallel to her school studies. And her passion for music soon began to win out over the idea of a career at the bar.

At 20, the pretty young Kabylian indulged her musical talent, joining local neighbourhood rap outfit CNN. But she soon came to the attention of French rap star Passi's group Ministère Amer who invited her into the studio as a backing singer on their second album. This proved to be a decisive step in Assia's early career and led to her working with the famous Secteur A hip hop collective from Sarcelles. Assia's vocals were by now in great demand and the young singer found herself guesting on Doc Gyneco's "Mauvais garçon" and Arsenik's "Affaire de famille" (two tracks which featured on the "Indigo" compilation released in 1999). But the thing that really brought Assia to mainstream attention was when she recorded "Dini", a song for the film soundtrack of Gérard Pires's box-office hit "Taxi." Written in collaboration with Akhenaton (the leader of renowned French rap outfit IAM), the song featured Assia singing in Arabic.

Debut album success

Thanks to the soundtrack and her various guest appearances on other people's records, Assia soon attracted interest from major labels. She went on to sign an initial contract with BMG, but no album appeared to be forthcoming. Patiently biding her time, Assia continued writing songs in her spare time and she was eventually signed to Virgin. Soon afterwards, Assia began work on her debut album, recorded between studios in Paris, Los Angeles and Toulouse. The thirteen-track album, a highly personal work entitled "Chercheuse d'or" (Gold Digger), featured music by her brother, Khalil (to whom the singer has remained notably close throughout her career). His pop, Raï and R&B arrangements brought out the best of Assia's fluid, sultry vocals. The album, mostly recorded in French, nevertheless included two tracks in Arabic.

"Chercheuse d'or" hit record stores on 23 May 2000 and became an instant best-seller in the "groove" category, boosted by the success of the first single release, "Elle est à toi." Written in collaboration with Calbo (from the group Arsenik), the single rocketed up the charts, selling over 700,000 copies. Another single soon followed "Elle est à toi" up the charts: "Là-Bas". Meanwhile, Khalil who had been called in to write part of the music on Julien Clerc's album "Si j'étais elle", introduced his sister to the 50-something crooner. And, in 2001, Clerc invited Assia to record the duet "Quelques mots en ton nom" with him. She even appeared on stage with the popular French music star, joining him at Le Zénith in Paris in January 2002 for a live version of "Quelques mots en ton nom." Assia would also return to the stage in her own right, in Luc Plamondon's musical "Cindy 2002" (which starred Lâam as a modern-day Cinderella).

"Again and Again"

In March 2005, Assia released her long-awaited follow-up album "Encore & encore" (Again and Again). The album, which revolved around a catchy mix of soul, hip hop, R&B and Oriental rhythms was mostly produced by her brother, Khalil. And it featured an impressive list of guest stars including Oxmo Puccino, Rim-K (from 113) and female rap diva Diam's. The first single release from the album, "le Prix pour t'aimer", was a French version of the American star Aaliyah's "Don't know what to tell ya." However, Assia's second album failed to live up to expectations.

On 10 July 2005, Assia took to the stage, supporting Al Green when he performed in concert at the Olympia in Paris.

September 2005