Rajae El Mouhandiz
| Rajae El Mouhandiz رجاء المهندس |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Rajae |
| Born |
25 March 1979 Larache, Morocco |
| Genres | Maghreb Soul, Jazz, Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Recording Artist, Producer, Poet |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Labels | Truthseeker Records 2005–Present Bonton Records 2008–2010 |
| 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 artist. El Mouhandiz is a poet, singer, composer, producer, and founder of the record label Truthseeker Records. She has released two albums and is currently recording her third album in Morocco.
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, Netherlands when she was a baby. After her parents' separation in 1982, El Mouhandiz spent her childhood with her mother and siblings in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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.
She has released two albums and is currently recording her third album in Morocco.
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.
Currently she is developing her second short film, focusing on her Maghreb heritage.
El Mouhandiz is also one of the 60 female curators of the international MUSLIMA exhibition.
From 2009 to 2014 El Mouhandiz was nominated as the only contemporary female singer on the list of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world.
On 31.10.2013 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.
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