Khaled

Khaled Hadj Ibrahim (, ; born 29 February 1960), better known by his mononym Khaled , is an Algerian raï musician. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled (, Arabic for "Young" Khaled, with "Cheb" as a common title for male raï singers).

Khaled is one of the most important musicians in the history of Raï music in his native Algeria and is one the world's best-known African singers. Among his most famous songs are "Aïcha", "Didi", "El Arbi", "Abdel Kader", "La Poupée qui fait non", "Wahran Wahran", "Bakhta", "C'est la vie", and "Alech Taadi".

He holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling artist of raï music.

Forbes has consistently placed Khaled in the top celebrities of Arab Music, and placed him at high ranks for years

Early life Khaled was born on 29 February 1960 in Oran's Eckmühl neighborhood, Algeria.

Musical career His rise to national fame was mainly due to the efforts of Lieutenant-Colonel Hosni Snoussi, director of the state-supported arts and culture Office Riadh el Feth, who took Khaled under his wing and invited him along with other rai stars to perform at the state-sponsored Festival de la Jeunesse pour la Fête Nationale in Algiers in July 1985. In the same year, he was crowned king of rai in the first official festival of rai which was staged in Oran.

Hosni Snoussi and Martin Meissonnier, who met at the Festival, convinced France's Minister of Culture Jack Lang that the export of rai from Algeria to France was in the French government's interest and together they organized the first rai festival in France at Bobigny in 1986. Cheb Khaled, who had been avoiding his mandatory military service, was able to perform at Bobigny only after Colonel Snoussi intervened with the Algerian military authorities to secure him a passport.

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 the Bollywood films Shreeman Aashiq, Airlift, Highway, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Khaled and producer Don Was appeared on The Tonight Show on 4 February 1993.

Islamic extremists opposed to perceived vulgarity in rai music have obtained fatwa condemning vulgar singers to death. Khaled has described himself as "at the top of the list of well-known people the fundamentalists want to kill" in consequence.

Khaled returned to the United States of America in December 2004 for a special guest performance at the Grammy Jam 2004 in Los Angeles, California. He joined a cast of celebrity artists honoring the band Earth, Wind & Fire, performing Brazilian Rhymes into "Didi" showing how their music crossed the world, fusing with his North African style. The album reached number 5 on SNEP, the official French Albums Chart.

On 3 April 2015, Khaled was convicted for plagiarism of "Didi", from Angui ou Selmi, a musical composition recorded by Cheb Rabah (born Rabah Zerradine) in 1988. But on 13 May 2016, Court of Cassation removed the charges against Khaled, when a 1982 audio tape with the song was shown. This tape was recorded by Khaled and given to a producer located in Oran, 6 years before Cheb Rabah's record. In the end, Rabah had to compensate Khaled for the fees during this case.

In 2020, Khaled co-wrote and released a charity single, "Elle S'appelle Beyrouth," to benefit victims of the 2020 Port of Beirut Explosion to various charities in a collaboration project with Lebanese-born Brazilian DJ Rodge (born Roger Saad), which remained number one on Lebanese music charts for six weeks. After a decade-long hiatus from major studio album releases, he returned with the self-titled album Cheb Khaled in 2022. He later reunited with Rodge for the Qatar Airways-commissioned multilingual song "C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.S.", in commemoration of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life

On 12 January 1995, Khaled married 27-year-old Samira Diabi in France. Together, they have four daughters and one son.

In 1997, his wife filed a complaint against him for domestic violence, before retracting the complaint.

In 1998, the biography Khaled: Derrière le sourire (French for "Khaled: Behind the Smile") was published, which recounted his life.

Khaled has an illegitimate son with whom he has no contact. Before a court appearance in 2001, he denied being the father of the child, continuing to claim that he had been "deceived". On the 7 May 2001, Khaled was sentenced by the Nanterre criminal court to a two-month suspended prison sentence for "family desertion". His move to Luxembourg in 2008, where he has been residing ever since, has reportedly been motivated by these charges.

Discography This discography does not include a number of albums released on cassette early in his career, and several bootleg/unofficial albums.

Studio albums

Live albums Solo YearAlbumChartsCertificationBEL(Fl)BEL(Wa)FRA BEL(FL) BEL(WA) GER NLD SWE SWI "Chebba" / "Baroud"(with Safy Boutella) 1988 — — — — — — — Kutché "Le Camel"(with Safy Boutella) — — — — — — — "Didi" 1992 9 50 — — 29 — 30 Khaled "Ne m'en voulez pas" — — — — — — — "Mauvais sang" — — — — — — — "Serbi Serbi" 1993 50 — — — — — — N'ssi N'ssi "Chebba" — — — — — — — "N'ssi N'ssi" 1994 — — — — — — — "Bakhta" 1995 — — — — — — — "Aïcha" 1996 1 25 1 33 14 — 11 Sahra "Ouelli El Darek" 1997 23 — — — — — — "Le jour viendra" 24 — 12 — — — — "Lillah" — — — — — — — "La poupée qui fait non (Live)"(with Mylène Farmer) 6 — 5 — — — — Live à Bercy "Abdel Kader (Live à Bercy)"(with Rachid Taha and Faudel) 1998 6 — 36 — — — — 1, 2, 3 Soleils "Comme d'habitude"(with Rachid Taha and Faudel) 1999 40 — 40 — — — — "C'est la nuit" 29 — 35 — — — — Kenza "El harba wine"(featuring Amar) 2000 20 — — — — — — "Les ennemis (El Aâdyene)"(vs. Fonky Family) 63 — — — — — — "Wana wana" 2001 97 — — — — — — "Agir Réagir"(with Jérôme Collet, Yves Lecoq, Sapho, Samira Said, Faudel, Elie Chouraqui, Sonia Lacen, Moise N'Tumba, Ishtar, Princess Erika, Amina, Gad Elmaleh, Youssou N'Dour, Lââm, Idrissa Diop, Daniel Lévi, Juste Pour Eux, and Jean-Jacques Goldman) 2004 38 — — — — — — "Ya-Rayi" — — — — — — — Ya-Rayi "Zine Zina" — — — — — — — "La terre a tremblé" 2007 — — — — — — — Best of Khaled "Benthi"(with Melissa M) — — — — — — — Avec tout mon amour "Même pas fatigué"(with Magic System) 2009 1 — 10 — — — 49 Raï'n'B Fever, Vol.3: Même pas fatigué !!! "Papa"(cover of Blaoui Houari) — — — — — — — Liberté "C'est la vie" 2012 4 5 5 — 92 34 33 C'est la vie "Hiya Hiya"(featuring Pitbull) — — — — — — — "Dima Labess"(featuring Mazagan) — — — — — — — "Ana Âacheck" 2013 — — — — — — — "Samira" — — — — — — — "Wili Wili" 2014 — — — — — — — "Wahda Be Wahda" 2016 — — — — — — — "Salama So Good"(with Andy) 2019 — — — — — — — Cheb Khaled "Delali"(featuring Gashi) 2020 — — — — — — — "Elle s'appelle Beyrouth"(featuring Rodge) — — — — — — — "C.H.A.M.P.I.O.N.S."(with Rodge) 2022 — — — — — — — "Trigue Lycée"(Remix featuring DJ Snake) — — — — — — — Cheb Khaled "Balatar"(with Tohi) 2023 — — — — — — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist + List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name Title Year Peak chart positions Album FRA BEL(FL) BEL(WA) GER AUT NLD SWE SWI "El Oasis de los Dioses" 1998 — — — — — — — — Konfusión "Bladi" 1999 — — — — — — — — L'palais de justice "Time For A Change" 2000 — — — — — — — — Hip Hop Meets World "Henna" 2005 — 8 — — — 86 9 — Borderless "L'enfant du pays" 2007 32 — — — — — — — Famille nombreuse "Citizens of the World" 2010 — — — — — — — — "Maghreb Gang" 2019 — — — 4 7 — — 5 Torremolinos "Diamanti e oro" 2025 — — — — — — — — Nuje "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

Appearances

Soundtracks

Filmography 1997 100% Arabica 1997 Le Centre de visionnage 2003 Art'n Acte Production 2004 We Are the Future

Honours First Arab singer to win World Music Awards (1992). First Arab singer to hold a Guinness World Record for Best-selling artist of raï music (2000). Only Arab singer to perform at Fifa World Cup ceremony (2010). FAO goodwill ambassador. Only Arab singer to perform at European Athletics Championships (2006). Was named top 50 Voices in the World by NPR. Is decorated « Chevalier des arts et des lettres » First Rai singer to be named Cheb in 1974 which means (young man), and then all rai singers named (Cheb) or (Cheba) after Khaled. First and only Arab singer to perform in many countries all over the world such as USA, Canada, Japan (1989), Netherlands, Turkey (1996), Germany, Portugal (2018), Italy, Brazil (2000), Spain, England, Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, Mauritius (2014), Slovenia, Ethiopia (2014), South Africa (2010), Senegal (2014), India (1992), Greece (2006), Hungary and Luxembourg. Only Arab singer to chart in France, Sweden, Belgium, USA, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Slovakia. First Arab singer to chart in Billboards Hot 100. First Arab singer to chart in France Charts. First Arab singer to chart in European Hot 100 singles (2009). First Arab singer to chart in Brazil for the song (El Arbi) Only Arab Musician to win Cesar Award (1994). Only Arab (Musician) to Win Venice Film Festival award (1993). Most-singing Arab singer in L'Olympia in Paris (5 times). Sold over 80.5 million albums (10 diamond, platinum, and gold) worldwide.

Awards

2004

2005

1994 1, 2, 3, Sun Best Original Music

2019 Himself Legend Award

1997

2012

2010 Khaled, Raï'n'B, Magic System Francophone Duo/Group of the Year

1993 1, 2, 3, Sun Golden Osella for Best Music

1995

"Aïcha" Original Song of the Year 2013 C'est la vie World Music Album of the Year

1997 Himself World's Best Selling African Artist of the Year 2000 Khaled, Rachid Taha, Faudel World's Best Selling Arabic Act

World's Best Selling Algerian Artist World's Best Male Artist World's Best Live Act World's Best Entertainer C'est la vie World's Best Album 1985: First Prize of Rai Music (KING) Oran 1989: Best Song (chebba) in France 1989: Top 100 Best Album in 20th Century (kutché) 1992: Top 50 MTV America (didi) 1992: MTV India Awards (didi) 2004: Grammy Jam Awards (Khaled and Carlos Santana) ("Love to the people") 2005: Montreal International Jazz Festival (The Antonio Carlos-Jobim Award) 2005: ImagineNations and DC Internationals (Empowering Award, for spreading the message of peace) 2006: The Mediterranean Prize for Creativity 2008: Award Dutch Virsti – German Academy of Music 2009: NME Awards 2009 (meilleur duo) avec Magic System 2009: MGM Awards (highest-selling Arab album in history) (The legendary) (Las Vegas) 2010: Big Apple Music Awards (best Arab artist selling in United States) 2010: One of 50 Great Voices profiled by NPR 2013: Murex D'Or 2013 – Best International Song & Best International Singer – Cheb Khaled – ("C'est La Vie") 2013: Rabab d’or Prix d'honneur – Maroc Festival International Al Ansra de M’diq ("C'est La Vie") 2013: Festival International de la Musique Kabyle à Tanger festival Touiza MAROC 2013 ("C'est La Vie") 2016: XLII Universal Music Award – Vienna 2016 – for "C'est La Vie" as Best Song.