Faouzia

Early life and musical beginnings

Faouzia Ouihya was born in Casablanca, Morocco, to parents Mohammed Ouihya and Bouchra Alaoui. At just one year old, she moved with her family to Canada, initially settling in Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba, before the family made their home in the rural town of Carman, Manitoba. She has two sisters, Samia, who later became one of her managers, and Kenza, who works as her photographer. Raised in a Muslim household, Faouzia maintained strong ties to her Moroccan heritage through frequent travel, food, and attire, stating she feels deeply connected to North Africa despite her Canadian upbringing. Her early experience of feeling excluded as a child became a catalyst for her first musical composition, which focused on embracing differences and would inform the personal nature of her later songwriting.

Faouzia's passion for music ignited at age four after watching her sister Samia play the piano, which inspired her wish to learn the instrument herself. She began writing songs and poems by age five and started formal piano lessons at six, later expanding her skills to include guitar and violin during her childhood and teenage years. Fluent in English, French, and Arabic, she primarily uses Arabic within her family, a linguistic dexterity that would later feature in her recorded work. At 13, she started posting song covers on YouTube, which began to attract a significant online audience with hundreds of thousands of views and served as her initial public platform. This early online presence and her disciplined approach to learning multiple instruments laid the practical groundwork for her professional discovery and initial success in the music industry.

Breakthrough and early career success (2015 to 2019)

Faouzia's professional breakthrough came at age fifteen when she won multiple awards at the 2015 La Chicane Électrique, including Song of the Year, the Audience Award, and the Grand Prix. A YouTube cover of Adele's "Hello" caught the attention of Tim Jones, co-founder and manager of the music company Pipe & Hat, leading to her signing and the development of her first official single. Her debut single, "Knock on My Door," was released on 1 November 2015 through various digital platforms and received radio airplay throughout the Manitoba region, marking her formal entry into the recording industry. In 2016, she placed second in the Canada's Walk of Fame Emerging Artist Mentorship Program, a national initiative that provided further exposure and validation within the Canadian industry early in her career.

The year 2017 marked a series of major international achievements for Faouzia that established her songwriting prowess on a global scale. She won the Grand Prize at the Nashville Unsigned Only music competition with "Knock on My Door," becoming the first teenager and first Canadian to receive the honour, which selected her entry from over 6,000 submissions from 90 countries. That same year, she won the prestigious International Songwriting Competition, beating 16,000 entries from 137 countries. She and collaborator Matt Epp were the first Canadians to win the top prize in the competition's 16-year history. She also collaborated with Manitoban artist Matt Epp on the single "The Sound" and released her own single "My Heart's Grave." Her rising stature led to a signing with the prominent Paradigm Talent Agency and a performance with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at The Forks in Winnipeg, celebrating Canada's 150th anniversary.

In 2018, Faouzia's reach expanded globally with a feature on the song "Battle" for David Guetta's studio album 7, which was announced on 24 August. Guetta praised her "great voice, powerful vibrato, and unique style" as reasons for selecting her for the collaboration. Faouzia recalled she was still in high school when she learned of the potential collaboration, calling it one of her proudest career moments at the time. Concurrently, she enrolled at the University of Manitoba, majoring in computer engineering while managing her growing music career. In 2019, she was featured on French rapper Ninho's song "Money" from his album Destin, which was certified gold in France on 9 July 2019, adding another international credit to her expanding resume.

EP releases, touring and growing acclaim (2020 to 2023)

Faouzia's career accelerated in 2020 with high-profile collaborations and her first major curated project. She was invited by Kelly Clarkson in early 2020 to translate Clarkson's song "I Dare You" into Moroccan Arabic, a version which was released on 16 April. In May, she was featured on "I Fly" by Swedish EDM duo Galantis for the soundtrack of the animated film Scoob!. On 6 August 2020, she released her debut extended play, Stripped, a collection of six acoustic-style tracks including five previously released songs and one new song, "100 Bandaids." She promoted the EP with a live concert at Winnipeg's Burton Cummings Theatre on 20 August. In November, she released the single "Minefields" in collaboration with American singer John Legend, which would later be included on her next EP.

Throughout 2021, Faouzia released a steady stream of solo singles including "Don't Tell Me I'm Pretty" on 21 March, "Hero" on 29 June with a video-game-themed music video, and "Puppet" on 28 October, while concurrently working on her debut studio album. On 30 March 2022, she announced her second EP, Citizens, and released the single "RIP, Love" as its lead track. The Citizens EP was released on 19 May 2022, featuring her previously released singles "Minefields," "Don't Tell Me I'm Pretty," and "Puppet" alongside new material. This period culminated in her first headlining tour, a significant step in building a direct connection with her audience.

In 2023, Faouzia released "I'm Blue" on 14 April, a rendition of Eiffel 65's "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" which she had first posted on YouTube in August 2019. She then released a series of singles under the Doll Summer project: "Don't Call Me" and "Plastic Therapy" on 9 June, "La La La" on 4 August, and "IL0V3Y0U" on 8 September. She also collaborated with French DJ Martin Solveig on "Now or Never," released on 23 June as a single from Solveig's upcoming album. That year, her cultural impact and success as an immigrant was recognized with a Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Award, for which she was nominated and became a recipient.

Independence, debut album and international touring (2024 to present)

In 2024, Faouzia entered a new phase of her career marked by high-profile songwriting and competitive television appearances that broadened her international audience. She co-wrote the track "Beg Forgiveness" for the album Vultures 1 by the group ¥$ (Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign), released on 10 February. From May to July 2024, she competed as a contestant on the ninth season of the high-profile Chinese singing competition Singer 2024, where she finished in a strong fourth place, gaining significant exposure in the Asian market. Later in 2024, she achieved a significant professional milestone by transitioning to full independence as an artist, a move she announced publicly to her fans.

In November 2024, Faouzia stated on Instagram that she was "now an independent artist for the first time in 6+ years and the first time in [her] professional career," marking her departure from her former music label, Atlantic Records. This move towards full creative and business control preceded the announcement of her long-awaited debut album, which had been in development for several years. On 2 October 2025, she revealed that her debut album, titled Film Noir, would be released on 7 November 2025. Following the album's release, she announced a major international concert series to support the project, her first headline tour in several years. On 2 September 2026, Faouzia's song "Unethical" surpassed one million daily streams on Spotify. This was her first song to cross one million daily streams on the platform. This milestone occurred after her debut album release and her move to become an independent artist.

Musical style, themes and influences

Faouzia's music is primarily categorized within pop, R&B, synth-pop, and acoustic pop genres, often blending electronic production with organic instrumental elements. She describes her own music as "emotional" and "intense," with lyrics that evolved from being inspired by people close to her to becoming more personal and drawn from her own heart and story. Music critic Gloria Morey noted that while her songs possess the upbeat musical elements of pop, her lyrics are notably meaningful and substantive, acting as the opposite of shallow pop writing. A distinctive feature of her artistry is the incorporation of Arabic tonalities and melodic phrasing into her vocal delivery in English songs, and she has performed complete songs in both Arabic and French alongside her English-language repertoire, reflecting her trilingual background.

Her biggest personal influences in pursuing music are her parents and sisters, who supported her early artistic development. Growing up, she listened to a wide range of pop icons including Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Sia, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend, who would later become a collaborator. She has specifically cited Rihanna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Sia as major influences on her songwriting approach and artistic persona. Individual songs like "Say Something" by A Great Big World featuring Christina Aguilera and "Hello" by Adele are among her stated favourites. Her musical palette was also fundamentally shaped by classic Arab artists like Umm Kulthum and Fairuz, whom she listened to with her parents and has declared as all-time favourite artists, alongside more contemporary Arabic voices like Assala Nasri and Khaled.

When she was learning music, Faouzia listened to classical composers such as Chopin, Bach, and Mozart. Pop rock bands Fall Out Boy and Imagine Dragons have also served as influences for her. She attended one of Imagine Dragons' concerts. She grew up listening to pop musicians like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Sia, Adele, Kelly Clarkson, and John Legend.

Major tours and live performances

Faouzia has headlined two tours. Her first tour was the Citizens Tour in 2022. Her second tour was the Film Noir World Tour, announced in 2026 to support her debut album. The Citizens Tour consisted of 31 shows across Europe and North America.

On 20 August 2020, Faouzia performed a live concert at the Burton Cummings Theatre to promote her EP Stripped. In 2017, she performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra at The Forks in Winnipeg to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary. From May to July 2024, she competed on the ninth season of the Chinese singing competition Singer 2024. She finished in fourth place on that show.

Questions about Faouzia

What are some of Faouzia's biggest career achievements?

In 2017, Faouzia became the first teenager and first Canadian to win the Grand Prize of the Nashville Unsigned Only music competition. That same year, she won the International Songwriting Competition. She was featured on David Guetta's album 7 and collaborated with John Legend. In 2023, she was a recipient of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards.

What is Faouzia's debut album?

Faouzia's debut studio album is titled Film Noir. It was announced on 2 October 2025 and released on 7 November 2025. In support of the album, she announced the Film Noir World Tour in April 2026 and later released an EP titled Film Noir (fin) with three new tracks in June 2026. The album followed several years of work and her transition to being an independent artist.

Where is Faouzia from?

Faouzia was born in Casablanca, Morocco. She moved with her family to Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes, Manitoba, Canada, at the age of one before settling in the rural town of Carman, Manitoba. She is known mononymously as Faouzia and is a Moroccan and Canadian singer, songwriter and musician. She was raised Muslim and often traveled to her native country, feeling very connected to North Africa. Despite growing up in Canada, she grew up eating Moroccan food and wearing Moroccan attire.

How did Faouzia get discovered?

Faouzia began posting covers on YouTube when she was 13 years old, garnering hundreds of thousands of views. Her YouTube cover of Adele's Hello convinced Tim Jones, the award winning co founder and manager of local music company Pipe & Hat, to sign her. Prior to this, at the age of fifteen, she won Song of the Year, the Audience Award, and Grand Prix at the 2015 La Chicane Électrique. These early successes led to the release of her debut single Knock on My Door in November 2015.

What languages does Faouzia speak and sing in?

Faouzia speaks fluent English, French, and Arabic. Arabic is the language she mostly uses with her family. She sings mostly in English, often featuring Arabic tonalities in her vocals. She has also performed songs in Arabic and in French. For instance, she was invited by Kelly Clarkson in 2020 to translate the song I Dare You into Moroccan Arabic.

Is Faouzia signed to a record label?

As of November 2024, Faouzia is an independent artist. She stated on Instagram that she was now an independent artist for the first time in over six years and the first time in her professional career. This announcement marked her parting with her former music label, Atlantic Records. Prior to this independence, she had been signed to Paradigm Talent Agency earlier in her career.

Sources and further reading

• Faouzia (Wikipedia)
• 7 Questions With Faouzia (junoawards.ca)
• Faouzia (emergingmusician.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-23.