Khaled (musician)
| Khaled خالد |
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|---|---|
Khaled performing in Oran in July 2011.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Khaled Hadj Ibrahim (خالد حاج إبراهيم) |
| Also known as | King of Raï |
| Born |
29 February 1960 Sidi El Houari, Oran, Algeria |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Universal Music |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | www |
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim (Arabic: خالد حاج إبراهيم, born 29 February 1960), better known as Khaled, is an Algerian raï singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist born in Oran. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled (الشاب خالد, 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 "Didi", "Aïcha" and "C'est la vie" as well as "Alech Taadi", which was prominently featured in the feature film The Fifth Element.
Khaled Hadj Ibrahim was born in 1960 in Oran's Eckmühl neighborhood, Algeria. 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 raï songs. He moved to France in 1986.
On 12 January 1995, Khaled married Samira Diabi, 27, with whom he has four daughters and one son.
In 1998, the documentary Khaled: Derrière le sourire was produced, recounting his life.
He was awarded Moroccan citizenship in August 2013, which he didn't ask for but accepted because he felt he could not refuse.
Khaled's signature song, the 1993 hit "Didi", became extremely popular in the Arabic-speaking countries and also in several other continents, including Europe, where it entered top charts in France, Belgium and Spain, and in Asia, including India and Pakistan. The song was also used in a Bollywood films Shreeman Aashiq and Airlift and a Mollywood film titled Highway. Khaled and producer Don Was appeared on the The Tonight Show on 4 February 1993. The latter track, which saw heavy rotation on MTV Europe, climbed to fourth on the charts in Germany. Known as the "King of Rai", Khaled is a winner of numerous awards, and has sold over 80.5 million albums worldwide including 10 diamond, platinum, and gold albums. 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.
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