Syna Awel (Algeria / France)
Updated: 5 days ago
Syna Awel is a singer, storyteller, and author with family roots in Aourir, a village in the Amizour district of Kabylia. She is Amazigh, one of the indigenous peoples of North Africa, and her voice carries the memory of Amazigh oral tradition, the tales and songs passed down across generations, into a contemporary musical language. She began her career in Nice performing soul music, before touring took her from Miami to Kingston, including time recording at Tuff Gong Studio. From 2020 to 2024, Awel was the lead singer of Ifriqiyya Electrique, a cutting-edge band that blends traditional North African trance rituals with electronic and rock music. A meeting with the celebrated Kabyle singer Idir reinforced her commitment to promoting her culture.
Featured Songs:
Syna Awel's Mediterranean Café song, "Amchiche," means "Little Cat" in the Kabylian language. Over a gentle Latin rhythm, Awel sings "Little cat is in trouble / He thinks a lot / He's had enough of being alone / He would like to go out with people / Poor little cat / He would like to go out / But he’s afraid of his owner / Poor little cat he would like so much / To go enjoy life."
Composed by Awel with Darys Boulekouane, their Café Arabica track,“Arioul,” was conceived as an accompaniment for an original story of the same name. The title comes from the Kabyle word for donkey, an insult for a fool but also a symbol of the patient, burdened, enduring worker of the Kabyle mountains, reframed here as a call to self-resistance. Awel sings in Tamazight, “Arioul, no more troubles cloud your story / No more illusions, now you are free / Don’t let others tell you who to be / It’s time to rise up off of your knees.”
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