Have you heard about the new princess of French rap? Growing up, French-Algerian singer Ta-Ha drew strength and inspiration from the powerful fantasy-based heroines found in the Manga and Disney movies she routinely watched. Her melodies, on the other hand, are made for the real world – the perfect arrangement of rap and sensual r'n'b, each inspired by the multi-faceted cities Ta-Ha frequently travels to including Tokyo, London and Paris. Having just released her new double EP X-RayZ and SunrayZ, we caught up with the Sailor Moon of our time to find out five sense-driven moments from her life.
I grew up watching Disney movies and their heroines gave me the strength not to give up on my dreams.
Deep down, I just know that I’m a warrior. I’ve done everything by myself since a very young age and I've worked hard all my life by fighting for what I believe in. Growing up I realised that the stereotypical characteristics of the heroines in those movies were not purely fantasy, they exist in real life too.
Watching Sailor Moon or The Secret Garden transports me straight back to my childhood.
I can see myself back then, sitting in the living room, on the sofa, scrutinising the screen in front of me. In the same way these movies bring back those memories, certain scents can transport me back too and remind me of my mum. They all have a very sensitive hold over me.
Every time I visited my extended family's house, I was surrounded by sounds and melodies.
I grew up listening to funk and reggae music and as a child, I used to play in different musical plays like Romeo and Juliet. I feel like my music is a mix of all my past experiences. Some people might define it as trippy, but it just reflects the way I see the world.
Falling in love helped me learn so much more about myself.
I was in Japan at the time and it actually blew my mind. It was at a time when I was working with children and both experiences taught me how to be both an adult and a more grounded person.
If I could have dinner with someone I admire, it’d be the inventor Nikola Tesla.
I wish I had the chance to hear his thoughts on the world as it is now, where we're all connected to one another but so very far from each other at the same time. It’s so strange when you think about it!