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Idir (born 1949 in Aït Lahcène, Algeria; real name Hamid Cheriet) is an Algerian musician.

Contents 1 Biography 2 Questions of Identity 3 Discography 3.1 A vava inouva (1976) 3.2 Ay Arrac Negh 1979 3.3 Les chasseurs de lumières 1993 3.4 A vava inouva 1996 3.5 Identités 1999 3.6 Deux Rives, un Rêve 2002 3.7 Entre scènes et terres 2005 4 External links

Idir was born in Aït Lahcène, a Berber village in Haute-Kabylia. This farmer's son started studying Geology and was destined for a career in the petroleum industry before his rise to stardom. Idir has been the ambassador of the Kabyle culture, especially the Kabyle music, with only his vocals and acoustic guitar. Idir has always used his status to claim his Berber (Amazigh) identity. His first album "A Vava inouva" came out in 1976, and the song "A Vava inouva" was translated into seven languages. After notable success, Idir wrote and recorded his second album "Ay Arrac Negh" (to our children) in 1979.

Idir restarted his career again with the release of a compilation in 1991 of seventeen songs from his first two albums "A Vava inouva" and "Ay Arrac Negh".

In 1993, a new album "les Chasseurs de lumières" (the hunters of lights) appeared on the Blue Silver label. "Les Chasseurs de lumières" is about (his) predilection, love, freedom and exile (which he had known since he moved to the Paris region in 1975). The acoustic guitar gives to the songs of this album a touch of modernism. We can also hear the voice of the Breton singer Alan Stivell in the duo "Isaltiyen".

Idir, man of conviction has often participated in many concerts supporting different causes. For example, on June 22nd 1995 more than 6,000 people came to applaud the singer and his friend Khaled, initiators of the association "l'Algérie la vie" (Algeria my life), at a concert for peace, freedom and tolerance. Idir also took part in the concert in memory of Matoub Lounes, the Kabyle singer who was assassinated in 1998.

Idir restarted his career once again with "Identities" in 1999, a tribute album which joined numerous artists together from Manu Chao to Dan Ar Braz without forgetting Maxime Le Forestier or Scotswoman Karen Matheson for a "A vava inouva 2", but also Gnawa Diffusion, Zebda, Gilles Servat, Geoffrey Oryema and the Orchestre National de Barbès.

Idir defended his national identity once again at "Le Zénith" in Paris in the spring of 2001 at the "21st berber's spring", a celebration of Berber culture. And on July 8th, he organised a special fund-raising concert to support the population in Kabylia when anti-government riots rocked the cradle of Berber culture in the summer of 2001. Idir was joined by a number of stars and thousands of Algerian and French fans who turned out to "Le Zénith" to support the population in Kabylia.

Note: Many of Idir's song titles use phonetic characters that are often transcribed incorrectly in discographies, notably 'γ' as 'y'. Additionally, in some discographies, 'C' is mistakenly replaced with 'G'.

1. A vava inouva
2. Isefra
3. SSendu
4. Azger
5. Muqley
6. Zwit rwit
7. Cfiy
8. Azwaw
9. Tagrawla

1. Acawi
2. Ay arrac nney
3. Cteduyi
4. Izumal
5. L'mut
6. W'ibryn
7. Ayrib
8. Tiyri bw gaud

1. Ay al xir inu
2. Anda yella
3. Adrar
4. Ad nu al
5. Snitraw
6. Yelha wurar
7. Baba-S
8. Ageggig
9. Mimmi
10. Abehri tmeddit
11. Snitraw
12. Isaltiyen
13. B an warrac
14. Ameddyaz
15. At zik
16. Twareg

1. A vava inouva
2. Isefra
3. Ssendu
4. Azger
5. Muqleγ
6. Zwit rwiţ
7. Cfiγ
8. Azwaw
9. Tagrawla
10. Tiγri bw gaud
11. Acawi
12. Ay arrac nneγ
13. Cteduyi
14. Izumal
15. L'mut
16. W'ibγun
17. Aγrib

1. A Vava Inouva 2
2. A Tulawin (Une algérienne debout)
3. Un homme qui n'a pas de frère...
4. Exil (Daγrib)
5. Tizi Ouzou
6. Révolution (Tagrawla 2)
7. Fable (Tamaçahuts 2)
8. Illusions (Awah Awah 2)
9. Le Jour du don (Tiwizi 2)
10. Mémoires (Cfiγ 2)

1. Pourquoi Cette Pluie?
2. A Vava Inouva 2
3. Trompettes
4. Tizi Ouzou (san Francisco)
5. Azwaw
6. Ssendu
7. Zwit Rwit
8. Yelha Wurar
9. Illusions (Awah Awah 2)
10. Tiwizi
11. Sirhiγi
12. Isaltiyen
13. Cteduyi
14. Cfiγ

• Compilation of Idir songs with a live DVD of his concert at Puteau (France).

1. Isefra
2. Cfiy
3. Mliyi
4. Abehri Tmeddit
5. Ssendu
6. A Vava Inouva
7. Tizi Ouzou
8. Tamacahut
9. Cteduyi
10. Pourquoi Cette Pluie ?

• Idir Bio, Pictures and Wallpapers
• RFI Musique biography
• Biography of Idir in Thamazight (Amazigh)