CITIZENS

Over the latter half of the 2010s, Faouzia Ouihya enjoyed a swift rise from YouTube phenom to International Songwriting Competition winner to featured vocalist on David Guetta anthems. All that groundwork erupted dramatically in 2020 with “Minefields”, a stirring duet with John Legend that showcased the Moroccan Canadian singer’s soaring voice in its natural power-ballad habitat. “Minefields” reappears as the emotional climax to Faouzia’s debut full-length album <i>CITIZENS</i>, a record that delivers more moments of hair-raising, heartsick anguish on Adele-worthy stunners like “Anybody Else” and the ominously atmospheric “Don’t Tell Me I’m Pretty”. But Faouzia also finds release on the dance floor, with the Middle Eastern-influenced club thumper “RIP, Love” and the Gaga-esque disco track “Puppet” transforming her post-breakup blues into bold declarations of independence.