GHALIA BENALI

Ghalia Benali is a Belgian-Tunisian singer, composer, actress, and storyteller whose music creates bridges between Arabic culture, poetry, and maqām and other musical currents, aligning jazz, baroque, flamenco, and contemporary sounds into one flowing river. Known for her deep contralto voice and powerful stage presence, she has been called “the Aretha Franklin of Carthage” by Belgian jazz legend Philip Catherine and is often referred to as “the granddaughter of Oum Kalthoum” for her ability to reinterpret Arabic heritage while keeping its soul alive.

Her voice and artistry have taken her to some of the world’s most prestigious stages, including WOMAD (Australia & New Zealand), Carthage Festival, Jerash Festival, Opera Ballet of Amsterdam, Het Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), La Monnaie (Brussels), Philharmonie de Paris, Philharmonie de Hamburg, Cairo Opera House, Dubai Opera, and BOZAR (Brussels), as well as many other international festivals and renowned venues worldwide. Each performance by Ghalia is a living ritual where music, poetry, silence, and storytelling align to create an immersive experience that transcends time and culture.

A Story of Alignment and Voice

Born in Brussels and raised in Zarzis, Tunisia, Ghalia grew up surrounded by Arabic poetry, songs, and the golden age of Egyptian cinema. Her studies in graphic design at Institut Saint-Luc (Brussels) gave her a foundation in visual storytelling that continues to shape her multidisciplinary work. Since her debut in 1992, she has built an artistic universe where music, poetry, and image flow together — not as fusion, but as alignment, a respectful dialogue between traditions.

Her discography is a testament to this journey — see the discography section for details.

In 2020, during the global pandemic, Ghalia collaborated with acclaimed choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui on the 3S Project, a multidisciplinary performance merging dance, live music, and video. Since its premiere, 3S has been presented in sold-out performances at major venues such as La Monnaie (Brussels), the Torino Dance Festival (Italy), Impulse Festival (Austria), and the Philharmonie de Paris, among others. It continues to tour internationally, acclaimed for its rare and seamless convergence of contemporary dance and live singing as a single, living narrative.

Upcoming Works Include:

Maqam al-Ghazal — Part of ARAK project, a contemporary Arabic-jazz album of original compositions inspired by contemporary Arabic poetry — Album to be released.

Film Masry — A recorded project reflecting on the collective memory of Egyptian cinema, featuring contemporary Egyptian poetry and collaborations with Egyptian and Belgian musicians — Album to be released.

Romances — With Academia del Piacere (Sevilla), weaving early Spanish music, baroque, flamenco, and contemporary Arabic poetry — Album to be released.

Philip Catherine & Ghalia Benali (Duet Album) — An intimate dialogue between Philip Catherine’s guitar and Ghalia’s voice and compositions — Album to be released.

A Whisper of Mosaic (end 2026) — Part of ARAK project, a multidisciplinary creation combining Sudanese and Belgian poetry, music, and visual art.

ARAK Project — A living dialogue: a poetic-musical series released in seasons, blending podcasts, video performances, and multidisciplinary encounters of poetry and music.

These works are partially funded and currently in production, with select releases planned for 2025–2026. We are open to partnerships, sponsorships, and creative collaborations to bring these projects fully to life.

Career Highlights

Ghalia is recognised as an “ambassador of Arabic culture in the West,” reshaping the narrative of world music by aligning traditions rather than blending them. Her artistic journey extends beyond music into cinema, with acclaimed roles in films by celebrated directors such as Tony Gatlif, Moufida Tlatli, Leyla Bouzid, Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud, and Khaled El-Hagar.

Today & What’s Next?

Today, Ghalia is entering a new phase where all her disciplines — voice, poetry, storytelling, and visual art — align into one body of work. Her upcoming projects (ARAK, Maqam al-Ghazal, Film Masry, and A Whisper of Mosaic) will further expand this language of presence and memory.

For upcoming concerts, releases, and projects, follow Ghalia on ghaliabenali.world or contact her team for collaborations and bookings.