Faouzia

Moroccan-born, Canada-raised Faouzia Ouihya (aka Faouzia) is a classically trained pianist and singer/songwriter who apples her powerful and wide vocal range to her vibrant R&B- and Arabic-influenced pop. Initially garnering buzz for her guest vocal spots on tracks by David Guetta, Ninho, and Kelly Clarkson, Faouzia emerged as a solo star with 2020′s Stripped EP and 2022′s Citizens EP, the latter featuring the single “Minefields” with John Legend. Looking for a prime level of education for Faouzia, her parents made the decision to move from Casablanca to Manitoba only a year after she was born. At age six, she began an 11-year stint of piano-based studies, mastering the instrument alongside the violin. In Canada, Faouzia still immersed herself in Arabic culture, listening to the music of artists as diverse as Fnaire, Cheb Khaled, and Umm Kulthum along with that of Adele and Beyoncé. Together with music, she also focused on developing her language skills, adding fluency in both French and an Arabic dialect to her bow. On hearing compliments about her singing voice, Faouzia began to upload vocal performances to video streaming services. By age 15, she had won three awards at the local La Chicane électrique competition, acknowledging her songwriting as well as her vocal talent. The following year, she and Matt Epp became the first Canadians to win the International Songwriting Competition after submitting their song “The Sound.” In September 2017, with “My Heart’s Grave,” Faouzia began a prolific run of self-released singles with which she interspersed guest appearances with notable artists. David Guetta’s “The Battle” — from his 2018 album 7 — featured her vocals and songwriting, as did that year’s French number one album Destin by the Parisian rapper Ninho. In 2019 and early 2020, additional independently released singles appeared, and she landed another guest spot, this time with Atlantic Records artist Kelly Clarkson on her single “I Dare You.” At the time of the track’s release, Faouzia had just turned 19 and was still studying computer engineering at the University of Manitoba. Atlantic soon signed her and — following a collaboration with Swedish house duo Galantis on “I Fly,” a track from the soundtrack to Scoob! — she issued her first proper major-label solo single, “How It All Works Out,” in July 2020. A month later, Faouzia released her debut EP, Stripped. This was primarily a collection of piano-led, pared-back versions of previously released material and a nod to her idol Adele as she fused emotive vocals with restrained backing. “Minefields,” a collaboration with John Legend appeared later that year and made both the Canadian and French pop charts. It was later included on Faouzia’s second EP, Citizens, in 2022. ~ James Wilkinson