Biography

Khadja Nin

On September 5, 2025, during the naming ceremony for a gorilla in Kinigi, Rwanda, Khadja Nin said these words: “I was born and raised in Burundi, but today I have chosen Rwanda as my eternal home.” The Burundian artist, famous in France during the 1990s for Sambolera, a hit that sold more than 420,000 copies, makes this statement: after forty years of life between music and commitment, she returns home. Behind the singer who defines her music as “neither white nor black, but café au lait”[^1], emerges the journey of a diplomat’s child, widow at twenty-two, cathedral choir member turned global artist and UNICEF goodwill ambassador.

In Brief


Birth Name	Jeanine Rema
Artistic Name	Khadja Nin (“Little Jeanine” in Kirundi)
Birth	June 27, 1959, Ruvyagira, Burundi
Genre	Afro-pop
Signature Works	Sambolera, Ya Pili, Ya…
Awards	Kora Awards (1997, 1999), Cannes jury 2018

Key Dates

Year	Event
1959	Birth in Ruvyagira; her father, Jean Ntiruhwama, Minister of the Interior
1966	Age seven: choir of the Bujumbura Cathedral
1975	Departure for Kinshasa (Zaire); marriage in 1978, birth of Vincent
1980	Settlement in Belgium; death of her husband
1985	Meeting with producer Nicolas Fiszman
1992	Eponymous album Khadja Nin (entirely in Swahili)
1996	Sambolera: summer hit on TF1, double gold record
2018	Member of the Cannes Film Festival jury

Career and Recognition

Khadja Nin is the youngest of a family of eight children. Her father, Minister of the Interior of Burundi under King Mwambutsa IV, brought back international records[^2]. From age seven, her voice led to her joining the choir of the Bujumbura Cathedral, where she became lead singer. Miriam Makeba is her model[^3]. At sixteen, she left Burundi for Kinshasa. In 1978, at nineteen, she married and gave birth to a son, Vincent[^4]. The following year, her husband died[^5]. In 1980, she left Africa for Belgium with her two-year-old son, took on modest jobs before crossing paths in 1985 with guitarist and producer Nicolas Fiszman[^6]. “Nicolas is the Nin of Khadja Nin”[^7]. The duo joined forces: he composed, she wrote the lyrics in Swahili and Kirundi[^8].

In 1991, the tandem signed a contract with BMG Ariola. The album Khadja Nin was released in 1992, entirely in Swahili[^9]. Ya Pili (“The second”[^10]) followed in 1994 and received favorable critical reception[^11]. The hit arrived in 1996 with Sambolera, chosen by TF1 to broadcast its video continuously[^12]. Two months after launch, double gold record: 200,000 copies in France, 420,000 worldwide[^13]. The title Sina mali, sina deni features a cover of Stevie Wonder[^14]. In 1998, the album Ya… marked a new stage[^15]. Recorded in a London country house, it includes a tribute to Nelson Mandela (Mzee Mandela)[^16] and Mama, whose video was directed by Jeanne Moreau[^17]. In 1999, she opened for Sting in New York, accompanied by Cheb Mami, then went on stage with both artists at the Paris-Bercy Palais Omnisports on January 10, 2000[^18]. In 2006, she married pilot Jacky Ickx[^19]. It was after 2007 — her return to the war-ravaged Burundi for a concert, “the first and last time”[^20] — that she retired from the stage to dedicate herself to commitment. UNICEF goodwill ambassador[^21], she supports girls’ schooling in Africa and the fight against famine[^22]. In 2015, facing the Burundian political crisis, she took a public stand[^23]. In 2018, she was a member of the Cannes Film Festival jury under the presidency of Cate Blanchett[^24]. In 2024, she was curator of the music for the first Kigali Triennale[^25]. On September 5, 2025, she announced her definitive installation in Rwanda[^26].

Major Works

Work	Year	Why It Is Essential
Khadja Nin	1992	First album, entirely in Swahili: bold entry into world music
Ya Pili	1994	“The second,” acclaimed by critics, introduced Kirundi
Sambolera	1996	Summer hit on TF1; 420,000 copies; Sina mali, sina deni is featured[^27]
Ya…	1998	Last studio album: tribute to Mandela, video for Mama directed by Jeanne Moreau

Legacy

Khadja Nin remains one of the few African artists to have crossed the linguistic barrier — Swahili, Kirundi, French — to conquer a European public[^28]. Her music, which she defines as “neither white nor black, but café au lait”[^29], remained faithful to this vision. The success of Sambolera opened the door for many African artists[^30]. Beyond her discography, her journey — from the Bujumbura choir to the Cannes jury — testifies to the power of music as a political voice.