Ghalia Benali grew up in an artistic family in the south of Tunisia. From her childhood on she was impregnated with different kinds of music and poetry: French chansons, Egyptian and Indian musicals, melodies from Syria and Iraq and the ‘tartil’,  the sung lectures from Koran, and the poetry from Oum Kalsoum. She sings with an incredible expression and a strong sensuality with a voice that sticks to your skin. Besides singing, she is also a dancer, actress and artist in plastic arts.

Ghalia was born in Brussels in 1968.  At the age of 3 she moved, together with her family, to Tunisia, until the age of 21. As a child she sung and danced already on family happenings. After her sciences education in Tunis, she returned to Brussels in 1988 to study Graphic arts. She decided to stay in Belgium where she began to perform with the complicity of oud player Moufadhel Adhoum. Then she took to various musical projects: Yoda (didgeridoo, djembe, clarinet,…), Timnaa (Arabo-Spanish), Maak’s Spirit (Arabo-jazz) and Hh Kaly (DJ and Arabo-Indian songs), Al Palna (Arabo-Indian), ...

In 2000 she recorded the CD ‘Wild Harissa’ with the group Timnaa for German record label Network.

In 2001 she created the project 'Kafichanta', an Arab cabaret with songs from the 1920's until today.  She is also touring her 'Romeo en Leila’ with 5 musicians, a hommage to Oum Kalsoum, and the Indian/Belgian/Arabic 'Al Palna' meeting.

As an actress she played (1999) the role of Meriem in ‘La Saison des hommes'  from Tunisian movie director Mouffida Tlatli. In 2001 she played the role of a dancer in the film ‘Swing’ from Tony Gatliff.