Karim Tizouiar

Born in Sidi M'Hamed, Tizouiar grew up in Tala Tazert, a village in Béjaïa Province, where he received his early musical education.

[1] At 20 he moved to Paris, where in 1982 he started his professional career entering the Kabyle ensemble Agraw as a mandolinist, then replacing Takfarinas as lead vocalist in 1985.

[1][2][3] Following the success of the band's song Uliw yeduqqus he made his solo debut in 1987, with the album Ay Aguitar ("Oh Guitar").

[1] Among his best known compositions are the title track "Ay Aguitar", "Achehal Insher I Yetran" and "Rju-yi".

[3] Suffering from a debilitating illness which led him to announce his premature retirement in 2011, Tizouiar died on 28 May 2023, at the age of 60.