Childhood
Born Malika Zoubir in Nice, France, on September 27, 1980, to Algerian parents, she grew up outside of neighbourhoods typical of Nice, by the will of her mother who refused to live in the ghetto.
During her childhood her parents divorced. Kayna first discovered her love of music, listening to Funk records of her grandfather, but she also enjoyed classically known French singers, such as Jacques Brel, Édith Piaf, and Léo Ferré.
Malika really found her passion for music at the age of 10 when she started to participate in her school's chorus group.
At age 15, she decided to immerse herself in the musical world, joining local rap groups, at first as a singer, then as a rapper.
Debut
With her first manager Nabila JAADI, Kayna modeled, financed by doing odd jobs and performing as an opening act. Soon her manager received a phone call from Philippe Fragione who proposed to take Kayna to Marseille record a song for a compilation. Ultimately, those plans never fully actualized.
In 1999, Kayna came out with her first demo, "Le Parcours d'une Goutte d'Eau." Her manager and she were always had high hopes, and she sent the tape to several major labels. It was then that doors began to open for her. In 2000, she performed the track "Jeune Fille d'en Bas" on the soundtrack of the movie La Squale. The song was produced by Cut Killer and DJ Abdel, and they reworked the song for an international R ‘n’ B compilation titled Vas-y Pars.
It was then that then Malika chose the name Kayna Samet, paying tribute to Kahina, the legendary Berber commander, and her maternal grandmother. She soon meets singer Matt Houston who offers her a part on the duet "Le Prix à payer", off of his second album. He further offers for Kayna to go on tour with him, which presented her first opportunity to meet Diam's.
In July 2002, Kayna Samet came out solo with the song Blazée D'la Life. Booba, after having heard said song, asked her to sing the hook on the track "Destinée", off of his album Temps Mort.
In 2003, she collaborated with IAM on their track "Nous," from their album Revoir un Printemps. She also got the chance to work with Rohff on the song "Pétrole" from his album La Fierté des Nôtres. In time, Kayna signed with the label Voix Publik and started working on writing her first album, working with various artists in the process.
Personal life
On 3 March 2009, she gave birth to a baby girl Inés whose father is Sinik.
