Asmaa Hamzaoui, born in Casablanca, Morocco, in 1998, is a singer and musician known for her contributions to Gnawa music. Coming from a family with Gnawa roots, Hamzaoui's father, Rachid Hamzaoui, is a maestro of the guembri, a traditional Gnawa instrument. She began playing the guembri at age six, following in her father's footsteps and breaking traditional gender roles within Gnawa music. Hamzaoui gained initial recognition through videos released in the 2010s and formed the group Bnat Timbouktou to accompany her performances. In 2016, she shared the stage with Malian singer Fatoumata Diawara for the first time. Hamzaoui's breakthrough came with invitations to the Essaouira Festival in 2017 and 2018, where she performed with Diawara again.
