Dystinct

Born in Mortsel, Belgium, into a Moroccan family and raised in Antwerp, Dystinct — real name Iliass Mansouri — creates music at the crossroads of raï, urban pop, pop-rap and Afro influences, with multilingual lyrics moving between Dutch, French, English and Moroccan Arabic. After beginnings on the Dutch-language scene and relocating to Amsterdam, Dystinct first drew attention with tracks like “Ya La Laa,” then broadened his audience by shifting his repertoire toward songs more rooted in darija and in the musical exchanges between the Benelux, France and the Maghreb. His first album, Mon Voyage, was released in 2021, followed by Layali in 2023 and Bababa World in 2025. Along the way Dystinct has multiplied collaborations with artists from different scenes, including Bryan Mg, MHD, Naza, Ricky Rich, Dafina Zeqiri, Gims, Jul and J Balvin. The 2022 single “Ghazali,” released with Bryan Mg, marked a turning point in his exposure, while Dystinct has since affirmed a transnational, danceable and melodic pop format nourished by modern raï, sung hooks and an aesthetic designed to travel across languages and audiences.