Sabrina Bellaouel – Eclipse

R&B star Sabrina Bellaouel blends Raï and House on new single

French-Algerian R&B star Sabrina Bellaouel shares lush new single ‘Eclipse’ – a starry-eyed celebration of astrology spanning rich, futuristic R&B and classic house with her signature soulful vocals. The follow up to her recent 2022 single ‘Trust’, ‘Eclipse’ is an homage to Sabrina’s love of clubbing and dance music culture and comes with the promise of two club focussed remixes yet to be revealed. This is the second single taken from Sabrina’s sensational forthcoming debut album Al-Hadr, out 3rd March via InFiné. Counting fans in Gal-Dem, Crack Magazine, DJ Mag, The Wire, The Quietus, COLORS and more so far, the LP is set to continue to cement Sabrina’s name as one of the most exciting electronic R&B artists of the moment.

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For Sabrina, writing, producing, and recording ‘Eclipse’ was an exercise in letting go and taking risks, something she puts at the forefront of her creative output as someone who has an insatiable appetite to explore and break boundaries. The track’s vocal sample comes from a legendary Algerian Raï singer Cheba Sabah, whose inclusion was an important attempt to bridge the two immensely rich cultures of Raï and house. Sabrina’s co-producer on this track was fellow InFiné labelmate Basile3, who shares a deep, mutual understanding of the desire to push beyond genre confines. 

In her own words, Sabrina says, 

“It’s always been important to me as a producer to take risks. I make music that I want to listen to. To explore unexpected things. The sample on ‘Eclipse’ comes from a very famous Algerian Raï singer called Cheba Sabah. I think it’s really important to create a bridge between these two immensely rich cultures, Raï and house. I was lucky enough to have Basile3 as a teammate who instantly understood what I was getting at.”

Her third release on revered French label InFiné, following acclaimed EP’s We Don’t Need To Be Enemies and Libra, the French-Algerian producer and vocalist’s unique style of electronic R&B blossoms with Al Hadr, a 13-track album featuring collaborations with dance producer Basile3, experimental club DJ and writer Crystallmess, jazz musician Monomite and pop singer Bonnie Banane, among others.

Through past releases and visual offerings for ‘Arab Liquor’ and ‘Float’, Sabrina’s explorations of love, astrology, sex, gender, society, identity shone a light on her deeply sentimental musings, creative vision and desire to honour her Algerian heritage. On the forthcoming LP Al Hadr, Sabrina taps into myriad influences: from spirituality and astrology to club culture, romance, the body and self love. Sonically, it draws on her influences from Punk, Gospel and house music, to Aliyaah, Sade and Timbaland, also playing homage to her North African roots.  

Born, raised and based in Bagneux, outside the southern périphérique of Paris, Bellaouel lives between worlds. At home, her Algerian heritage and Muslim faith have fused tight familial bonds and a keen sense of history and culture; as “Berbers”, she speaks French and Arabic. In her headphones, she finds comfort in the sparse experimentalism of Radiohead and romantic tales of Jill Scott. On the hot club dance floors of Paris, driving house beats connect her to her body. 

Sabrina’s mother comes from the southern desert, where gatherings are soundtracked by local musicians playing North African instruments with electronic drums. Her grandmother who smuggled guns for soldiers during the French-Algerian war is the inspiration for Bellaouel wanting to involve Algerian dance in her multidisciplinary live performances. An artist dedicated to reclaiming what it means to have ‘Berber’ roots, listen to Sabrina’s Love Letter to Algeria Mixtape for Crack Magazine here.

Creating a balance between places, identities and sounds is a huge part of the charm of Al Hadr. As a true Libra, she’s finding a balance between honouring her roots and carving out her future.