Afida Turner (born Hafidda Messaï; December 22, 1976) is a French media personality and singer. She has released two studio albums and several singles, singing both in French and in English. She has also appeared in small roles in multiple films and starred in the stage play ''Requiem for une conne'' (2022). She was married to musician Ronnie Turner from 2007 until his death in 2022.

Biography

Afida Turner was born in

Auchel Auchel (; ) is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. Geography An ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated southwest of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at ...

, France. Her father was from

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

and her mother from

Réunion Réunion (; ; ; known as before 1848) is an island in the Indian Ocean that is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France. Part of the Mascarene Islands, it is located approximately east of the isl ...

. When she was two years old, her father beat her mother to death. She lived with foster families until she was 16. She then worked as a saleswoman in ready-to-wear and was once employed by the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

ian bar-lounge Buddha Bar. In the 1990s, she started a singing career, releasing her debut single "Crazy About You" in 1998. She came to the public and media attention in 2002 by appearing in the second season of the French reality TV show '' Loft Story'' under the name Lesly. In 2002, Turner signed with

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), commonly known as Sony Music, is an American multinational music company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony Group Corporation. It is the recording division of Sony Music Group, with the other half being the ...

and released her debut studio album ''Roc Attitude'' under the name Lesly Mess in 2003. Turner made appearances in three films, ''Shut Up and Shoot'' (2006), ''The Sweep'' (2008) and ''Single Black Female'' (2009). In 2011, she released her second studio album ''Paris-Hollywood'', which included the single "Come with Me". She subsequently appeared as a guest star and host on various French TV shows. In 2013, she played a role in the film ''Visions Interdites''. In 2018, she played a role in the drama ''Lumière Noire'' by Enguerrand Jouvin. In 2022, she played the lead in ''Requiem pour une conne'' by Baptiste Souriau at Théâtre Trévise, Paris starting in January and running successfully for six months. In July 2022, she released a cover version of

Guesch Patti Patricia Porrasse (born 16 March 1946), known professionally as Guesch Patti, is a French singer. Biography Early life Patti was born in Paris, France. She chose her artist name, ''Guesch'', from the nickname she had as a child. ''Patti'' is ...

's song "

Étienne Étienne, a French analog of Stephen or Steven, is a masculine given name. An archaic variant of the name, prevalent up to the mid-17th century, is Estienne. Étienne, Etienne, Ettiene or Ettienne may refer to: People Artists and entertainers * ...

Personal life

She had a relationship with

Coolio Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known by his stage name Coolio, was an American rapper. He was best known for his single "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995), which won a Grammy Award, and was credited for changing the cours ...

lasting two years and also with American boxer

Mike Tyson Michael Gerard Tyson (born June 30, 1966) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1985 and 2024. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "the Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson i ...

. In 2007, she married musician Ronnie Turner, the son of

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

. She started to use the name Afida Turner.Lesly du "Loft 2" vit le rêve américain, désormais appelez-la... Afida Turner !
, ''Pure People'', March 27, 2009 Ronnie Turner died aged 62 from

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

in Los Angeles on December 8, 2022.

Politics

On May 31, 2020, Turner announced her candidacy for President of France in the 2022 election. She ran on a platform opposing police violence and in favor of the

Yellow Vests Movement The yellow vests protests or yellow-jacket protests (, ) were a series of Populism, populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018 and ended on 28 June 2020. Some minor protests started again after the restriction ...

. If elected, she would have been the first female and first African President of the Republic. However, on January 11, 2021, she announced that she had withdrawn her candidacy.

Filmography

Films

*2006: ''Shut Up and Shoot!'' as Fifi Belmondo *2008: ''The Sweep'' as Bank Manager *2009: ''Single Black Female'' as Blue *2013: ''Visions Interdites'' as The Singer *2018: ''Lumière noire'' as the gynaecologist

Television

*2000: '' H'': Woman in the Sabri pub *2002: '' Loft Story'' *'' 2009 Criminal Minds'': Herself (season 4, episode 25) *2014: ''Un dîner presque parfait M6'' *2015: Nrj 12 le mag *2017: Nrj 12 le mag *2020:

Touche pas à mon poste Touché or Touche may refer to: Sports * Touché (fencing), French for "touched", a term used to acknowledge a hit Arts and entertainment * ''Touché'' (Hush album), by Australian band Hush, 1977 * ''Touché'' (Ryan Stout album), by comedian ...

*2022:

*2022: Un dîner presque parfait : special guest *2023: Touche pas à mon poste People

Music videos

*2003: ''

Shut Up "Shut up" is a direct command with a meaning very similar to "be quiet" and "be silent", but which is commonly perceived as a more forceful command to stop making noise or otherwise communicating, such as talking. The phrase is probably a sho ...

'' cameo (

Black Eyed Peas The Black Eyed Peas are an American musical group formed in Los Angeles in 1995, composed of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap and Taboo (rapper), Taboo. Fergie (singer), Fergie was a member during the height of their popularity in the 2000s, and ...

)

Discography

Albums

*2003: ''Roc Attitude'' *2011: ''Paris Hollywood''

Singles

*1998: Crazy About You *2002: Pas celle que tu crois / Tu mens *2002: Vilaine fille *2003: Repose au paradis / Je t'ai en moi *2011: Come with Me *2014: Born an Angel *2022: Etienne *2023: High Energy *2024: Barbichette Song

Theater

*2022: ''Requiem pour une conne'' as Ina Star *2023: ''Abracafida !''

Other endeavors

*2002: Book biographie : ''My father killed my mom'' by Michel Lafon editions. *2016: Afida Turner (fragrance) *2016: MuchCouture by Afida Turner (clothing and swimsuit line) *2019: Afida Turner jewelry collections by Stephano Andolfi

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Turner, Afida 1976 births French women singers Participants in French reality television series French people of Algerian descent French people of Réunion descent Living people French expatriates in the United States 21st-century French singers 21st-century French women