THE ARTIST

Deeply involved in music since childhood, her voice has always been her primary instrument and the source of an ongoing artistic exploration. Born in France to a multicultural family with Algerian, German, French, and Hungarian roots, her background informs her perspective and artistic sensibility.

Initially rooted in jazz, her artistic language expanded through years of collaboration and immersion in multicultural and experimental music contexts, including over fifteen years within Berlin's music scene. Over time, she moved beyond conventional forms of composition and vocal performance, developing an approach in which the voice is treated not only as an instrument, but as a central compositional and expressive medium.

Her studies in polyphony at the Philharmonie de Paris, alongside other forms of sound training, refined her attention to resonance, listening, and the cultural role of the voice. These elements converge in compositions built from layered vocals, polyphonic structures, field recordings, and spatial sound. Drawing equally from the human and natural environment, her work engages themes of origin, displacement, and identity, exploring sound as a bridge between cultural memory, nature, and our place within existence.

In 2024, she became the first vocalist in residence at MONOM Studio Berlin, where she created NASILU, a voice only work exploring exile, human memory, and ancestral echoes. The piece was released in 2025 during the Audio Immersive Spatial Festival at Berlin's Funkhaus.

A two time TEDx artist and speaker, Ilhem has presented her work internationally at venues, institutions, and festivals including the Berlin Philharmonie, Mutek Mexico, Waking Life Festival, Resolute New York, and most recently TEDxWomen Lausanne.

Her collaborations span artists such as Roedelius, Mathew Jonson, Masomenos, Bokar Cissokho, Romain Azzaro, Mike Shannon, Magda, Natalia Escobar, and Daniela Huerta.

Ilhem continues to expand her solo performance practice while developing multidisciplinary collaborations across music, sound, and immersive forms.

Her first solo album is due for release in Fall 2026.