Biography

Khaled

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Born in Algeria but now based in France, Khaled is known as the king of rai. He was born Khaled Hadj Brahim in 1960 in Sidi-El-Houri. Along with Egyptian, Spanish and French music influences, Khaled also listened to the Beatles and James Brown as a child. After learning to sing and play accordion, he left school at age 16 to record his first single. With a blend of funk, reggae and Arabic music, Khaled soon pioneered the transformation of rai from a local style to worldwide popularity by adding a synthesizer and drum machine. He moved to France in 1986 and released Kutche, his debut album. His first domestic work was a 1993 self-titled album. N'ssi N'ssi appeared the following year. 1996 saw the release of Sahra, and three years later King of Rai appeared. In early 2000, 1,2,3 Soleils, a trio recording also featuring Rachid Taha and Faudel, was released. Elle Ne Peut Pas Vivre Sans Lui was issued later that fall with El Lil Ou Nour appearing in early 2001.
- IMDb mini biography by: John Bush

Khaled and producer Don Was appeared on The Tonight Show on 4 February 1993.
In 2010 he performed Didi at the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, making him one of the best selling Arabic language artists in history.
In 1992, having dropped the "Cheb" from his performance name, he recorded Khaled, which was produced by Don Was. The album's first single Didi, which was a major hit in Europe, the Arab World, and in South and East Asia, made him an international superstar.
At the age of 14, he founded the Cinq Étoiles (Five Stars) band and started performing in nightclubs and at weddings. In the 1980s, Khaled started producing and singing songs in the Raï genre.
Khaled has won 4 WMA before.

They said that I should get a stage name," he says. "But I said, 'Why?' Everyone was trying to come up with different names and I was a little upset, I said, 'My name is Khaled. I'm not an international star, I'm only known in Algeria. You must have my name as Khaled.'
When I released 'Aicha', it was my first time singing in French,To be honest, I wondered if people might laugh at my accent. But no, we went from 'Didi' in 48 countries to 'Aicha' in 60.
We have heritage and many songs in the Maghreb [North Africa]. A song like "Wahran Wahran" by Ahmed Wahbi, for example, I tried to give it a new arrangement. I didn't want that heritage to die. I wanted to give it a new twist.
I have a taste for Khaleeji (Gulf) music, for Egyptian music, for Tunisian, for Moroccan music," says Khaled enthusiastically. "I like hip-hop, rap, reggae. I recorded a song at Bob Marley's studios in Jamaica. The music that had been restricted to my country, Raï music, broke down barriers in Europe. It's now married to all types of music, even rock and roll. It has no race.

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