DYSTINCT

DYSTINCT, born Iliass Mansouri on September 9, 1998 in Mortsel, Belgium, is a Belgian-Moroccan singer, songwriter, and producer. He emerged on the Dutch-language rap and pop scene in 2019 after signing to Avalon Music, quickly gaining attention for blending Dutch-language and Arabic-influenced material.

His breakthrough came with «Ya La Laa», a track that racked up tens of millions of views and helped establish him as a rising figure connecting European urban pop with Moroccan and broader Maghreb musical influences. He released his debut album Mon voyage in 2021, singing predominantly in Dutch, before increasingly incorporating Moroccan Arabic into his output, culminating in the hit «Ghazali» in 2022, which broadened his reach across Arabic-speaking audiences.

DYSTINCT's sound blends contemporary pop and R&B textures with Middle Eastern and North African melodic elements, positioning him as one of the more prominent voices bridging European pop-rap and Maghreb-influenced music. He continued this trajectory with his second album, Layali, released in 2023, further cementing his crossover appeal between Dutch-language and Arabic markets.