Khaled is an artist who is officially recognized as the king of a new vocal style that originated in his homeland - in Algeria, in the Algerian port city of Oran.
It was there that the boy was born on February 29, 1960. Port Oran became a place where there were several cultures, including musical ones.
The rai style is found in urban folklore (chanson), its elements were introduced by the bearers of different national cultures - Arabs, Turks, French. This is how it happened historically.
The beginning of the creative path of Khaled Haj Ibrahim
Music became the vocation of the young man. Khaled gathered his first musical "gang" from local guys when he was 14 years old. They called it Les Cinq Etoiles, which means "five stars".
The guys earned their first money by entertaining people at local festivities, amusing guests at weddings. Around the same time, the singer recorded his first solo composition, Trigue Lycee ("Road to High School").
In the 1980s, he became interested in a new musical trend in the style of rai. At that time, they combined Arabic style with Western.
It has become fashionable to perform Arabic lingering melodies on Western musical instruments, and the technical capabilities of the studios began to be used to give a new interesting sound to the musical accompaniment.
The French-style accordion harmoniously combined with the traditional Arabic ones - darbuka and paradise.
These innovations could not in any way be approved by public morality, since they did not correspond to the general principles of Islamic culture.
The rai style was condemned, on the one hand, because the lyrics freely touched upon such taboos of Islamic laws as sex, drugs, alcohol, etc. On the other hand, Khaled became a symbol of social progress in music.
He pushed the boundaries of what was allowed by conservative traditions. The artist himself in an interview has repeatedly said that his music is aimed at destroying taboos and giving people the opportunity to express themselves.
Career development of Khaled
In 1985, at a festival in Algiers, held in his hometown of Oran, Khaled was officially declared the "King of Paradise". In 1986, the singer confirmed his royal title by performing at a festival in France, in the city of Bobigne.
1988 was a time of change for the singer - he emigrated to permanent residence in France, at the same time his album Kutche was released.
In the early 1990s, a video clip for the song Didi appeared. It was a huge triumph. The publication of the clip glorified Khaled not only at home, but also abroad.
The song was loved both in the Arab world and in the west, and the singer became popular in India. Composition Didi hit the charts in France, Belgium, Spain. In February 1993, she reached number 4 on the German charts.
In the 1990s and 2000s the Algerian singer enjoyed immense popularity in Brazil. This was due to the use of his hits in various television programs and shows.
In 2010, Khaled performed the song Didi at the XNUMX FIFA World Cup in South Africa. However, because of the composition, the singer had many worries later.
Artist accused of plagiarism
In 2015, he was convicted of plagiarizing his biggest hit. The lawsuit was filed by Rab Zerradine, who presented his recordings from 1988 as evidence.
However, he failed to slander Khaled, and the Court of Cassation was forced to acquit him, because he presented earlier Didi recordings dated 1982.
Rab Zerradine had to pay compensation for moral damage to the slandered singer, but this happened in May 2016.
In total, 80,5 million copies of discs with recordings of his albums were sold around the world, among which were “diamond”, “platinum”, and “gold”.
Best Artist Album
2012 marked the release of his best album C'est La Vie. Over 1 million copies were sold in the European market within two months.
In the Middle East and North Africa, a circulation of 2,2 million copies was released. In the USA - more than 200 thousand, and in general around the world - 4,6 million discs. The single C'est La Vie from the album peaked at number 5 on Billboard.
The triumph of the new offspring of the singer was very pleasant, as this was preceded by a five-year silence.
The success of Khaled's album is connected with the theme of the texts, which deals with the ordeals of Algerian immigrants in European countries. The singer called on his compatriots and everyone they depend on for patience, peace and love.
In 2013, the star was granted Moroccan citizenship, which he accepted, according to the singer himself, being unable to refuse such an honor.
The personal life of an artist
In January 1995, Khaled entered into a legal marriage with Samira Diab. Their marriage gave them five children - four girls and one boy.
In 2001, the singer sued a woman who claimed that he was the father of her child. And he was sentenced by the court to punishment in the form of imprisonment for 2 months probation, the verdict read: "For desertion from the family."
In 2008, he left France for permanent residence in Luxembourg, where he lives to this day.
