Chercheuse d’or (meaning Gold Digger) is the debut album by Algerian-born French singer Assia. It was released in France on 23 May 2000, through Virgin France. Chercheuse d'or is a R&B album and incorporates elements of funk, soul and raï styles. Three singles are released from the album. It includes her first hit "Elle est à toi", "Là-bas" and "Ghir dini". It peaked at number 47 on the French charts, selling 200,000 copies.
Background In 1995, Assia began her career as a songwriter. After released "Ghir Dini" from the soundtrack of the French film Taxi produced by IAM, she signed in Virgin France in 1999. In 2000, Chercheuse d'or becomes a national success, especially with her hit single "Elle est à toi".
Critical reception Chercheuse d'or was met with mixed reviews from music critics, many of whom criticized the French-Arabic singing. Patrick Labesse of Le Monde tries to find an explanation for this French-Arabic mix in the article Du choix de chanter en arabe et en français. Assia continue to explain her album Chercheuse d'or is about the search for happiness : "I seek what everyone seeks, happiness! And then of course the love, not only that of a man but the universal love". When Chercheuse d'or was released, Assia thus analyzes the reception of the album in France : "Sometimes I was told that my songs sounded too Arabic, sometimes they said that I lacked exoticism. That's the reason why I'm going my own way today".
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Chercheuse d'or.
Assia – composer, primary artist, vocals Bernard Benant – photography Hamed Daye – composer, performer, primary artist Julien Delfaud – mixing assistant Jean-François Delort – mixing assistant Xavier Derouin – acoustic guitar Mustapha Ettamri – percussion Djimi Finger – programming Pablo Gil – artwork, logo Jean-Paul Gonnod – assistant engineer Christophe Guiot – violone Catherine Juste – assistant engineer Ken Kessie – drum programming, engineer, realization Peter Maunu – acoustic guitar Marlon Mclain – guitar Tim Pierce – electric guitar Mickaël Rangeard – engineer Stéphane Reichart – engineer Patrick Shevelin – drum programming Travis Smith – engineer Philipp Weiss – engineer, mixing
Charts Chart (2000) Peak position Certification (FR)France (SNEP)Assia discography and peak positions in France Lescharts.com (Retrieved 22 July 2023)47GoldAssia certifications in France (Retrieved 22 July 2023)
References