The group Labess found its musical identity on the road to exile. Plural, free, and alive, with the combined influence of artist Nedjim Bouizzoul’s Algerian roots and global wanderings. Labess is a journey that begins in Algiers, in the working-class district of Hussein-Dey. Nedjim Bouizzoul grew up amid the chaâbi of his “big brother” musicians, seeking his own voice and his own vocation. A calling echoed in his heart for the guitar, and for North America. He emigrated to Canada with his mother and sisters at the age of 18. There he would play in the street or in the metro. He considers himself a self-taught street musician, and would soon discover café concerts, and his first musical collaborations. Then came Labess, the name of his group and their first album (2007), Arabic for “everything is ok”. Their music is open to the world’s winds: sounds from Africa, Gypsy rumba, flamenco… The voice rises in several languages: Algerian Arabic dialect, Spanish, French. Deep, committed. Nedjim spent two years in Colombia. 2021 saw the release of 4th album Yemma, a tribute to his mother who sacrificed everything to give him the chance to fly. The journey continues, and Labess brings joy to concert halls in North Africa and across the world. He now lives in France.