Dounia (singer)

Dounia Tazi (born March 31, 1997), known mononymously as Dounia, is a Moroccan-American singer, songwriter, model, and activist. She rose to prominence as an Instagram model, known for her body-positivity and activism. She began releasing music commercially in 2017. Her first commercial EP, Intro To, was independently released on October 20, 2017. This was followed by her second EP, The Avant-Garden, released on November 30, 2018 through Empire Distribution and her third EP, NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO, released on May 24, 2019. Her debut album, The Scandal, was released July 17, 2019, preceded by the single "Delightful".

This article is about the Moroccan-American singer and model. For the Arab Idol singer, see Dounia Batma.

Dounia Tazi
Dounia performing in 2019
Born (1997-03-31) March 31, 1997
Queens, New York, U.S. or Morocco
Occupation
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • model
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active2013–present
LabelsIndependent (2017–present)
Empire Distribution (2017-present)
Associated actsKehlani, Supa Bwe, Breakfast N Vegas, World's Fair, Shakka, ROMderful
Websitewww.dounia.world

Early life

Dounia Tazi was born on March 31, 1997[1] in either Queens, New York or Morocco.[2] She was sent to Morocco as a baby while her mother stayed in Queens for work.[3] She returned to Queens at the age of 8 and taught herself English by reading books from the local library.[3][4] Although Tazi grew up playing guitar, she was not exposed to music in her youth due to her upbringing in a "strict Muslim household", which inspired her to seek out music that she enjoyed during her time in high school.[3][5] This exploration of music led her to begin writing and recording music of her own, resulting in the release of a diss track about a boy she dated, which she posted to SoundCloud.[3][6] Tazi began thrifting in high school and started a body-positive Instagram account to model her outfits.[4] After flunking out of high school, she worked for a short time at an American Apparel store.[3]

Career

Tazi began modeling when she received an offer to be part of a Forever 21 campaign.[4] She gained wider notice after modeling for other brands, such as Sephora and Refinery29, and built an Instagram following of over 200,000 for her unique focus on body-positivity.[7] She subsequently used her modeling gigs to fund a career in music, taking advantage of her online connections to find a manager and begin producing music. During her time as a model, she had always planned to transition into music.[4] Tazi's first commercial single, "East Coast Hiding" was released independently in January 2017,[6] followed by "Shyne," which was released in March through an exclusive article on The Fader.[8] Her debut, 8-track EP, Intro To, was released in partnership with Empire Distribution on October 20, 2017.[9][10] Upon release of the EP, Time highlighted Tazi's "dreamy brand of rap-singing over vibey, rolling beats, it’s a confident alt R&B sound that explores the challenges of overcoming the grind through its honest, Queens-inflected poetry."[3] The EP charted in the top 10 of the iTunes R&B Chart.[11] An official music video for the track "So Cool", directed by Barbie Ferreira in her directorial debut, was released in March 2018.[12] In July 2018, Dounia was a featured singer on two tracks, "WF001" and "Untitled", from Queens rap crew World's Fair's debut album New Lows.[13][14]

"Avante-Garde", the lead single from Tazi's sophomore EP, was released in June 2018 with an official music video.[4][6] The second single, "How I See It", was released on August 2018 alongside a self-directed and self-edited music video.[9] In September 2018, Tazi was a featured vocalist on Supa Bwe's track "Entropy", produced by Shepard Sounds.[15] A stand-alone single "Everything's a Joke", featuring production by Breakfast N Vegas, was released on September 28.[16] In late October, Dounia performed as the opening act for French artist Christine and the Queens on several tour dates across North America, including sold-out shows in New York and Los Angeles.[17] On November 15, 2018, Tazi was featured with electro-pop trio SHAED at Billboard's "Industry Nights" talent showcase, where she performed the songs "How I See It", "Avant-Garde", and "East Coast Hiding", among others.[18] A music video for the third single "Rich Girl Mood", directed by Tired Studio Production and guest-starring featured singer Kehlani, was released in advance of the EP on November 28.[19][20] The Avant-Garden, Tazi's second commercial EP, was released on November 30, 2018, through Empire Distribution.[20][21]

Dounia performing in 2019

In March of 2019, Tazi released two singles, "ROYAL" and "LOWKEY GRL".[22][23] "LOWKEY GRL" features Moroccan Doll, a moniker meant to represent Tazi's alter ego, who raps verses in Darija and represents a "little, unconventional Moroccan Girl".[24] Also in March, she was featured alongside Shakka on "Run Tings", the lead single from English DJ ROMderful's debut album, Press L to Continue.[25] Tazi's third EP, NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO, was released May 21, 2019 and contains 4 tracks, including the lead single "TOXIC", which Prelude Press noted for its fusion of Pop, Soul, and R&B, with "sharp, sassy, and unapologetic lyrical content".[26][17] In spring of 2019, Dounia was a featured performer at numerous music festivals across the United States, including BUKU Music + Art Project, SunFest, and Soundset Music Festival.[17] Her debut album, The Scandal, was released on July 17, 2019 and features new tracks as well as those featured on Not Good for the Ego. Dounia stated that the album's themes will move away from glamorizing a party lifestyle and move towards promoting spirituality and positive ways of coping.[24] The album was preceded by the single "Delightful", which became available for streaming and download alongside the album's pre-order. Previous singles "Royal", "Lowkey Grl", and "Toxic" were included on the album, in addition to the track "Up 4 Air" from Not Good for the Ego.[27] In continuation of her festival circuit, Tazi performed at Diplo's Mad City Festival on July 20th and is scheduled to perform at Rolling Loud Bay Area on September 28th.[27]

Dounia was a featured performer on Marian Hill's single "Take A Number", released with its music video on August 23, 2019.[28]

Discography

Studio albums
List of Studio albums
Title Details
The Scandal

EPs
List of EPs
Title Details
Intro To
The Avant-Garden
NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO

Singles

As lead artist

Title Year Album
"East Coast Hiding" 2017 Intro To
"Shyne"
"Avant-Garde" 2018 The Avant-Garden
"How I See It"
"Everything's a Joke" Non-album single
"Rich Girl Mood" (feat. Kehlani) The Avant-Garden
"ROYAL" 2019 The Scandal
"LOWKEY GRL" (feat. Moroccan Doll)
"TOXIC" NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO & The Scandal
"Delightful" The Scandal

As featured artist

Title Year Album
"Entropy"
Supa Bwe featuring Dounia		 2018 Just Say Thank You
"Run Tings"
ROMderful featuring Shakka & Dounia		 2019 Press L to Continue
"Take A Number"
Marian Hill featuring Dounia		 TBA

Other appearances
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"WF001" 2018 World's Fair, Remy Banks, Jeff Donna & Cody B. Wear New Lows
"Untitled" World's Fair & Cody B. Ware
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gollark: email inbox reveal
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gollark: terminal reveal
gollark: random part of desktop reveal

References
  1. Dennis, Shunquell (November 7, 2016). "Rising Models: Mina Mahmood And Dounia Tazi". The Odyssey Online. Odyssey Media Group. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  2. Sources differ. Those giving Queens include: * Bruner, Raisa (October 20, 2017). "Meet the Moroccan-American Singer Finding Music in Speaking Out". Time. Retrieved January 2, 2019. * Kellman, Andy. "Dounia". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2019. * Vigil, Dom (May 22, 2019). "Dounia Drops Third EP, "NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO"". Prelude Press. Retrieved May 25, 2019. Those giving Morocco include: * Satenstein, Liana (November 12, 2018). "Get to Know Dounia Tazi, a Fashion Nova–Loving Modern Day Bombshell". Vogue. Retrieved January 2, 2019. * Bein, Kat (November 30, 2018). "Dounia Bosses Up on Sophomore EP 'The Avant Garden': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2019. * Dodson, Claire (June 20, 2019). "How Dounia Changed Her "Internet Narrative" From Influencer Model to Up-and-Coming Pop-R&B Star". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  3. Bruner, Raisa (October 20, 2017). "Meet the Moroccan-American Singer Finding Music in Speaking Out". Time. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  4. Satenstein, Liana (November 12, 2018). "Get to Know Dounia Tazi, a Fashion Nova–Loving Modern Day Bombshell". Vogue. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  5. Cohen, Abeline (April 27, 2016). "Dounia Tazi Opens Up About Her Music And Instagram Fame". GaloreMag. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  6. Kellman, Andy. "Dounia". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. Valentine, Claire (August 31, 2017). "Premiere: Watch a Teaser Video for Dounia's Electric New Single "Shyne"". Paper Mag. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  8. Green, Jasmine (March 17, 2017). "Dounia's "Shyne" Is The Expectation Versus Reality Of Pursuing Your Dreams". The Fader. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  9. Bein, Kat (August 22, 2018). "Dounia Takes it From The Library to the Bedroom in 'How I See It' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  10. Laili, Kaoutar (August 22, 2018). "Dounia, la chanteuse maroco-américaine à découvrir d'urgence". HuffPost Maghreb. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  11. Yang, Linda (October 24, 2017). "Singer and Activist Dounia on Being Young, Educated, and Politically Active". Broadly. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  12. Bulut, Selim (March 13, 2018). "Watch Dounia's goth girl-inspired new video, directed by Barbie Ferreira". Dazed. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  13. Sacher, Andrew (July 13, 2018). "World's Fair share new song ft. Freaky Franz of Turnstile; album out next week". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  14. Sacher, Andrew (July 20, 2018). "Five Notable Releases of the Week (7/20)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  15. Pierre, Alphonse (September 7, 2018). "The Ones: 5 Best New Rap Songs From Shoreline Mafia, Supa Bwe, GoodFinesse, Paycheck, and Grim Dave". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  16. Idrees, Farah (September 2018). "Dounia is divine in latest electro R&B single "Everything's a Joke"". Earmilk. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  17. Vigil, Dom (May 22, 2019). "Dounia Drops Third EP, "NOT GOOD FOR THE EGO"". Prelude Press. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  18. Kress, Bryan (November 16, 2018). "SHAED and Dounia Deliver Scorching Performances at Billboard Industry Nights Showcase". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  19. Skujins, Angela (November 28, 2018). "Watch Dounia and Kehlani get into a 'Rich Girl Mood'". Dazed. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  20. Devi, Serena (November 28, 2018). "Watch Dounia and Kehlani Scam Their Way To The Top In "Rich Girl Mood"". Nylon. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  21. Bein, Kat (November 30, 2018). "Dounia Bosses Up on Sophomore EP 'The Avant Garden': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2019.
  22. Van Gaal, Czar (March 8, 2019). "Dounia Is The Only "Royal" That Matters". V Magazine. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  23. Espinoza, Joshua (March 21, 2019). "Premiere: Dounia Drops New Song "LOWKEY GRL"". Complex. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  24. Dodson, Claire (June 20, 2019). "How Dounia Changed Her "Internet Narrative" From Influencer Model to Up-and-Coming Pop-R&B Star". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  25. Oke, Tobi (May 20, 2019). "Premiere: Watch ROMderful "Run Tings" With Shakka And Dounia In New Visuals". Complex. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  26. Squid, Mike (May 24, 2019). "Dounia delivers dynamic new release". Elevator Mag. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  27. Frometa, RJ (July 2, 2019). "DOUNIA RELEASES NEW SINGLE "DELIGHTFUL"". Vents. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
  28. Spruch, Kirsten (August 23, 2019). "Marian Hill Return With Spooky 'Take A Number' Video Featuring Dounia: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
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