Perennial favorite Izia to end the week. In a private concert/session setting from Studio Ferber at RTL2 on January 30, 2023.
Certainly one of the most engaging, thoroughly riveting and visceral artists to come out of France in a very long time – she has made an indelible impression on French music and has gained a big following all throughout Europe and making inroads in the U.S.
Izïa was born in Paris on 24 September 1990 to Jacques Higelin, the legendary French singer of Belgian and Alsatian descent, and Aziza Zakine, a dancer and chorist of Tunisian descent.She comes from a family of artists; beside her father and mother, her two half brothers Arthur H and Kên Higelin. She was influenced by music from an early age when her father introduced her to jazz and British pop music. At the age of seven, she formed a duo with her father; she provided the vocals while he played piano.
In 2006, Izïa released her first extended play and the following year she opened for Iggy & the Stooges at the Printemps de Bourges music festival. She consequently embarked on a tour of France, which consisted of over thirty dates. On 8 June 2009, her eponymous debut studio album, Izia was released in France. In some reviews, the album garnered comparisons to Janis Joplin. The album performed reasonably well in the French albums chart, achieving a peak position of #31 and staying in the top 100 for 17 consecutive weeks.
Izïa has since released three more albums that reached the charts in France: So Much Trouble (2011), La Vague (2015), and Citadelle (2019). In 2021, Izïa contributed a cover of the Metallica song “My Friend of Misery” to the charity tribute album The Metallica Blacklist.
And in keeping with her multi-talent stature, Izia has also made a simultaneous transition over to Film.
Izïa made her film debut in 2012, appearing in the film Bad Girl under her full name, Izia Higelin. She was nominated for several awards for her performance in the film, including the César Award for Most Promising Actress. Since then she has continued to act sporadically, appearing in the 2015 film Summertime and playing Camille Claudel in the 2017 film Rodin.
Been a total fan since her first album and she continues to amaze without letup.
Press Play and hear for yourself.
