Bouchnak was born in Tunis, Tunisia to a family of Bosniak and Turkish origin. At a young age, he began re-performing the songs of Oum Kalthoum and other masters of Egyptian music. He joined the "Youth Musical Group of Tunis", then "Arrachidia", where he started improving his vocal skills with Ali Sriti. He also learnt to play the Oud. In 1979, at the age of 25, Bouchnak recorded his first song composed by Ahmed Siddiqui. He then started working with other famous composers such as Sayed Mekkaoui, Fathallah Ahmed, and Anwar Brahem. In the 1980s, he started composing songs for other artists such as Khaled and the rap group IAM. Bouchnak has been one of few artists to have regular shows in the Cairo Opera House since 1992. He won the Best Arab Singer Award in Washington DC, in 1997. In 2019 he collaborates with the italian artist Tosca in her album "Morabeza".