Natacha Atlas, born 20 March 1964, is a Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western electronic music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music “cha’abi moderne” (modern popular music). Her music has been influenced by many styles including Arabic, hip hop, drum ‘n’ bass and reggae.
Atlas was born to a father of Moroccan, Egyptian, and Palestinian ancestry who was born in Jerusalem and a British mother who had converted to Islam. Atlas grew up in Laken, a Moroccan suburb of Brussels, Belgium, After her parents separated, Atlas went to live in Northampton, England with her mother. Atlas learned several languages, including Arabic, French, English, and Spanish,and has used them all in the course of her career.
Atlas returned to Belgium at age twenty four and began her career with two jobs as a belly dancer and the lead singer of a Belgian salsa band. In 1991, she recorded the track “Timbal” with Balearic Beat on the album ¡Loca!. Atlas also worked with Jah Wobble composing five tracks for the LP Rising above Bedlam. Through the recording of ¡Loca!, Atlas met British label mates Transglobal Underground (TGU), who at the time had a Top 40 hit, “Templehead”. She became the lead singer and belly dancer for the group, which focused on mixing Eastern and Western sounds as well as other styles.
Atlas, the lead singer in Transglobal Underground and solo artist, uses her multi-ethnic background when singing lyrics that often are intertwined with phrases from the Quran. She personally calls herself a “human Gaza Strip”, reflecting her diverse Judaeo-Islamic background and thoughts relating to the Muslim and Jewish world. In her music, Atlas makes many political statements regarding Islam and Judaism and often takes a middle ground approach advocating for peace and harmony. For example, her lyrics say “Why are we fighting/When we’re all together/Let’s return to peace/Let’s make peace, we are brothers” (from her song “Laysh Nata’arak”).
During an interview with Muslim Wake Up! online magazine, Atlas talked about her identification with her European and Arabic roots by saying “There will always be two identities living within me: Arabic and European. When I was very young, I tried to ignore the Arabic side, my father’s side, because I saw it as foreign. But something happened in my late teens. I was at a nightclub in Brussels and I heard Arabic music, and I knew then that there was something inside of me that I wanted to go back to. So I ended up going to the other extreme. But as you mature, you realize that you have both inside you. That’s how God made me. These days I dream in two languages, and not a day goes by when I don’t end up using Arabic”.
Atlas is currently finishing her new album, Mounqualiba, co-produced by Samy Bishai which will again explore the more classical world. Inspired by the poems of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, it is scheduled to release on 20 September 2010.
Her songs When I Close My Eyes, remixed by DJ Lowrider, and Amulet, remixed by DJ Nyx, have earned her a place on the Zouk Artist Directory as an honorary Zouk artist.
