Born to Moroccan parents and raised between Morocco, Belgium and Italy, Tawsen has always built his music at the crossroads of different worlds. With Chokran, he fully embraces his story. A 15-track project rooted in self-affirmation, where challenges are not endings but starting points, and where gratitude remains the common thread throughout.
Conceived as an open letter to his loved ones, his critics, his roots, his various cultural influences and everything that has shaped him, Chokran is both a moment of gratitude and self-affirmation. It is a project through which Tawsen reflects, opens up, and takes stock of the road travelled so far. Chokran is the album of an artist who fully embraces his story and understands that challenges are not endings, but starting points.
Throughout the project, Tawsen explores the musical influences that raised him, particularly those of Morocco and the Arab world. Moving seamlessly between Darija, Egyptian Arabic, French and Amazigh, he blends cultural heritage with contemporary sounds. The 15-track album travels through Afro influences on Nor, Amapiano on Ya Gamali, Raï on Nsayni, Mahragan alongside Fares Sokar on Estanna, and Gnawa-inspired sounds on Chokran Bezzaf.
The album cover extends this vision. At the centre of the image, Tawsen is not portrayed as a solitary hero, but as the product of countless encounters and shared experiences. A reminder that behind every success story lies a community of often unseen contributors.
Women, as sources of life, transmission and inspiration, occupy a central place in the artwork, alongside music, Tawsen’s greatest passion. Surrounded by the musicians he affectionately refers to as his “girls band,” all dressed in blue, the signature colour of the Chokran universe, Tawsen stands at the intersection of multiple legacies: his culture, his personal story and the music that has accompanied him throughout his life.
Blue and the Peacock
Blue and the peacock sit at the heart of Tawsen’s visual identity and artistic universe. His stage name derives from his family name, Taouss, which means peacock. An animal he strongly identifies with, symbolising pride, elegance and self-expression.
The colour blue references the iconic Tabsil Taouss (“the Peacock Plate”), a decorative plate found in Moroccan households for generations, both in Morocco and across the diaspora. More than an object, it has become a shared cultural and emotional symbol. This blue-and-gold plate accompanies life’s most intimate moments as well as its celebrations and hardships. It transcends generations and time.
The cover of Chokran offers a contemporary interpretation of this cultural icon. Its blue-and-gold contrast (rendered as blue and yellow on the artwork, where we understand that Tawsen is the peacock) evokes both heritage and ambition, origins and progress. An image that looks simultaneously toward the past and the future.
Zid Sawt: Turning Up the Volume to Say Thank You
The focus track accompanying the album release is Zid Sawt, “Turn Up the Volume.” Because Tawsen has something to say. From its very first seconds, the song introduces one of Chokran’s central themes: contrast.
Produced by the talented 777YM, Zid Sawt opens with Raï-inspired sounds before quickly taking an unexpected turn, reflecting Tawsen’s signature musical approach and setting the tone for the album as a whole.
Directed by Farid Malki, who also helmed the visuals for Den Den and Khallini, the music video further expands the album’s universe. The omnipresent blue colour palette returns, alongside the “girls band” who accompany and protect the artist throughout the visual narrative.
Tawsen moves forward surrounded by his people. The result is an introduction filled with confidence, attitude and character, much like the album itself, which marks the beginning of a new chapter. A chapter guided by one certainty: knowing who you are, where you come from, and where you are going. And remaining grateful, no matter what happens.
Chokran will be available on all streaming platforms from Friday, June 19, 2026.
