| Khaled خالد |
|
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Khaled Hadj Ibrahim |
| Also known as | Cheb Khaled |
| Born | 29 February 1960 |
| Origin | Sidi El Houari, Oran, Algeria |
| Genres | Raï, pop, blues, jazz |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, instrumentalist |
| Instruments | guitar, drums, banjo, violin, harmonica, accordion, synthesizer |
| Years active | 70s–present |
| Labels | Universal Records |
| Associated acts | Jim Jones |
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim (Arabic: خالد حاج ابراهيم, born 29 February 1960), better known as Khaled, is a raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Sidi El Houari in Oran Province of Algeria. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled (Arabic for "Young Man" Khaled, as opposed to the traditionalist Sheikh elders) and has become the most internationally famous Algerian singer in the Arab world and across many continents. His popularity has earned him the unofficial title "King of Raï". His most famous songs are "Aïcha" and "Didi".
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Already known in his native Algeria, Cheb Khaled moved to France in 1986 in order to explore his musical direction without fear of antagonizing Islamist fundamentalists who did not approve of his Westernized music and lyrical messages. In 1992, after dropping "Cheb" from his name, Khaled released his self-titled album Khaled, which established his popularity in France and among Maghrebian emigrants around the world and sold over a million copies in Europe alone, an estimated seven million worldwide, and he scored an even bigger hit with his love song "Aïcha" in 1996. His audience continued to expand throughout the 1990s, and he has collaborated with several hip hop artists. Khaled had achieved substantial recognition in France, his homeland Algeria and the Arab world.
His signature song, "Didi", became extremely popular in the Arabic-speaking countries and also in several other countries, including India and Pakistan. The song was used also used in a Bollywood film titled Shreeman Aashiq. Khaled and Don Was appeared on the The Tonight Show on February 4, 1993.[1] However, his popularity in the US, the UK and other countries has been limited to a small but devoted cult following.
His next album N'ssi N'ssi further strengthened his position. Film-maker Bertrand Blier used it as the soundtrack for his film Un, deux, trois, soleil and sold two million copies. Three years would pass before the release of his next album Sahra. During this time Khaled received the 1994 César Award for the best film soundtrack, the Victoires de la Musique for the 1995 Artist of the Year, and co-organised a huge night at the Zénith de Paris for peace and freedom of expression in Algeria. In the 1997 film The Fifth Element his song "Alech Taadi" from N'ssi N'ssi was used in the car chase with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich.
In 1999, he was joined by Rachid Taha and Faudel in a concert at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy for a concert known as 1,2,3 Soleils which was subsequently released as a live album and sold more than five million copies worldwide. Khaled became very popular in France, Canada, Belgium, Holland, Japan, England, the Middle East, India, Germany, Spain, Italy, Pakistan and Brazil (in this last country, he scored great success with the single hit "El Arbi"). His collaborative venture Abdel Kader from 1,2,3 Soleils was a hit in Pakistan. It was also used as the title song for Pakistani sitcom Kollege Jeans.
On 12 July 2008, Khaled appeared at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall to take part in the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival, part of the "Liverpool: European Capital of Culture 2008" programme. In the summer 2009, Khaled played at the Jazz festival of Montreal. In 2010 he performed "Didi" at the opening ceremony of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Khaled has sold over 46 million albums worldwide. His legacy includes ten diamond, platinum, and gold albums, as well as the highest-selling Arab album in history.
This discography does not include a number of albums released on cassette in Algeria early in his career, and several bootleg/unofficial albums.
as Cheb Khaled
as Khaled
From Kutché (1988):
From Khaled (1992):
From N'ssi N'ssi (1993):
From Sahra (1996):
From Kenza (1999):
From Ya-Rayi (2004):
Not released in an album:
From Indigènes (Days of Glory) - Movie (2006):
Below is a chronological list of awards won by Khaled