Rajae El Mouhandiz رجاء المهندس | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Rajae El Mouhandiz in Ontwikkeling | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rajae |
| Born | 25 March 1979 Larache, Morocco |
| Genres | Maghreb Soul, jazz, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, composer, poet, performer, creative director |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Kahina Productions 2005–present |
| Website | http://www.rajae.net |
Rajae El Mouhandiz (Arabic: رجاء المهندس) also known as Rajae (Arabic: رجاء) (born 25 March 1979) is a Dutch-Moroccan/Algerian poet, singer, storyteller and composer.
Rajae El Mouhandiz was born in Larache, Morocco, to an Algerian mother and a Moroccan father, Habiba Cherkaoui and Ahmed El Mouhandiz. Her parents moved to Amsterdam when she was a baby. After her parents' separation in 1982, El Mouhandiz spent her childhood with her mother and siblings in Amsterdam.[1]
While in primary school and high school, El Mouhandiz attended extensive ballet classes and studied the French horn. At the age of sixteen she was the first North-African to study at a Dutch conservatory where she continued her classical music studies. At the age of 20, El Mouhandiz left classical music to follow her own artistic path, seeking to incorporate her cultural roots.[2]
On International Women's Day 2012, El Mouhandiz premiered her first short doc film, a short film about the acceptance of Muslim women in mainstream media and the music industry.[3]
El Mouhandiz is also one of the 60 female curators of the international MUSLIMA exhibition.[4]
From 2009 to 2018, El Mouhandiz was nominated on the list of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world for her work in the field of culture & art.[5]
On 31 October 2013, El Mouhandiz gave her first TEDx talk during TEDx Breda. In her talk she spoke about how art and music create a new hybrid global culture. She still continues to sing and publish music of her own. [6]