Oum

Oum el Ghaït Benessahraoui was born in Casablanca on April 18, 1978. Child, then teenager, she spends her youth in Marrakech where very young, she learns a repertory from soul, pop and jazz music and interprets the songs of Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston. In 1999 and in Casablanca, Oum is discovered by Philippe Delmas, french artists manager like Assia, Leslie, Nadiya… and of which she accepts the invitation to be recorded in France.
Two years afterwards, she returns to Morocco where she goes to discover new universes of inspiration by visiting the Gnaoui and the Hassani from which are her origins Sahraoui.
In this same year she knows Barry, Moroccan musician who evolves in the fusion, with which she goes up on the scene of the festivals of Essaouira, Tanjazz, and of Casablanca and also BAM festival of Barcelona. Together they carry out the duet dear mama for which they turn a clip produced by sigma. It is with this same label as Oum produces her first album whose exit is planned for the beginning of 2007. Source: last.fm

Oum: a Moroccan diva

Oum El Ghaït Benessahraoui is a true Moroccan diva. With her trademark seductive voice, she performed at the Gnaoua World Music Festival, on the stage for upcoming talents.
Born in Casablanca, she grew up in Marrakech. After studying architecture, she decided to make music her profession.
In the past she has explored many genres from soul to hip hop via jazz and disco but recently she has focused on her cultural heritage and has just released a new album called Soul of Morocco.
She told euronews: “I am from this country and in this country there are so many cultural and musical things. There’s a bit of Africa, a bit of Arabic influence, Orientalism and also some Berber, because I am all about plurality, diversity, I am not into monoculture, one-way.”
She has written and composed all the tracks on her new album and even her band is international, with musicians hailing from Morocco, France and Cuba.
Oum was joined by Algerian born, France based drummer Karim Ziad.
He said: “My work on this disc was to take the rhythms of northern Africa – whether that’s Morocco or Algeria – and to integrate it with jazz, to try and find new ways of putting rhythm in jazz.”
His album is a collaboration with many internationally known artists, including American keyboard player Scott Kinsey who has worked on several major film soundtracks including Ocean’s Eleven and Twelve. Source:  euronews
Watch and listen the videos: Taragalte(Soul of Morocco),Taragalte (acoustic), Shine,Salam, 
Noches de Ramadan, I can't stop, Yalhayla, Oum Song (feat. Manu Dibango) and Top Tracks (50 videos).