Fadela was raised in a poor neighborhood in Oran, Algeria, and starred in the Algerian film Djalti at the age of 14.
She launched her musical career as a singer in Boutiba S'ghir's band and began recording with producer Rachid Baba Ahmed in the late 1970s.
She was the first woman to defy the ban on women singing in clubs, and she quickly reached great success in Algeria.
Fadela and Sahraoui toured internationally and recorded widely in the 1980s, with further success.
While in New York in 1993, they recorded the album Walli with producer and multi-instrumentalist Bill Laswell.