mannalia
MANNALIA believes that: "Voice is less for talking than for singing and healing". Her compassionately mind opening, challenging and definitely engaged lyrics are well served by an undeniable talent for original and catchy melodies. With both Tuareg and Celtic blood in her veins, it's no wonder she has always been a traveler, enjoying meeting all kinds of people, sharing their culture, living in different countries and feeling at home everywhere. For her, music is not a matter of fashion; it's a passion she's been feeding since age 14 as she started performing live in Europe with her band, playing bass and singing. After living in London and graduating with a master in English from a French University, she finally packs her bag and flies to Los Angeles to pursue her dream and musical path in the US. Despite the challenging struggle of having to adapt to a foreign country where she doesn't know anybody, she soon starts playing the clubs in the LA area with different bands before touring the rock clubs all over the country with her California based band, while honing her style and vision as an artist. In LA she will eventually learn a bunch from famous artists such as Tim Bogert (Vanilla Fudge, Jeff Beck…) Vocal coaches Chuck Plaisance and Jami Lula. After a year on tour, singing almost every night, she takes a long break in South Dakota where she meets with the Oglala Lakota Indians of the Pine Ridge reservation and is adopted by the family of a medicine man. There, with "The poorest people in the richest country" she lives the most enriching and enlightening days of her life before hitting the road again, more than ever determined to use her art as a weapon of peace. Mannalia is a fierce defender of peace, culture, education, tolerance and most of all, justice and Native Peoples' rights. She likes to share her vision of life, and writes about it freely.
manitu 2008
