Khaled ||| Portrait

Khaled

But while he was becoming a star, the clouds of discontent were gathering over the Algerian people. So Khaled abandoned the "Cheb" title and worked even harder to become successful and proudly spread the Algerian culture around the world. The purists criticise him for having betrayed his tradition. But the strength of Khaled lies precisely in having won over the general public. It is true that over the past few decades, westerners have become accustomed to eastern styles of music ; but only in small doses, to be exotic.
Thanks to Khaled, the French began really listening to this type of music and appreciating it without pretending.
Khaled Hadj Brahim was born 29 February 1960 at Sidi El Houari, a suburb of Oran. At the age of 14, without his family knowing (above all his father), he sang in marriages and cabarets with his group, the "Cinq Etoiles" (The Five Stars). As a result, he was expelled from school and went on to record his first single. The song "Trigg El Lici" was broadcast on all the radios and was an immediate hit with the listeners. Despite this success, Khaled did not earn a single dinar and continued working here and there (waiter, cobbler…) while singing.
It was his idea of using electric guitars, a synthesiser and a beatbox that radically modernised raï and made Khaled a star in Algeria. In 1986 he was invited to perform in France at the Bobigny festival. He went on to tour the whole of France and Europe. Which is when the French producer Martin Messonier began to take an interest in him. In 1988, Khaled recorded "Kutché", his first album produced outside Algeria. Not hugely successful, this nevertheless marked the beginning of his international career. Belgium, Holland, Great Britain, Japan…. a string of tours took him around the globe. During this time, back at home things were getting worse. Khaled, singing stories of parties, love and women, found himself a target for the fundamentalists. As the threats increased, Khaled found himself forced to leave Algeria and settle in France. From that moment on, his career really took off. He was invited to sing in the "World Summer Festival 91" in New-York's Central Park, representing 'la chanson française'. In 1992, the "Khaled" album was released, from which the track "Didi" became the first song in Arab to enter the French charts. The charts of Israel, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and even India (where Khaled released a Hindi version) were to follow. More than one and half million records were sold world wide.
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". Three years would pass before the release of his next album "Sahra". During this time Khaled received the 1994 Cesar Award for the best film soundtrack, the 'Victoire de la Musique' for the 1995 artist of the year, and co-organised a huge night at the Zenith (the Paris concert hall) for peace and freedom of expression in Algeria.
In Autumn 96, this was THE hit. "Aïcha", (co-written by French musician/hit machine Jean-Jacques Goldman) could be heard literally everywhere. All day long. Following a flirt with the cinema, (in "100% arabica" with his friend Cheb Mami), Khaled triumphed alongside Rachid Taha and Faudel at the major raï event of 26 September 1998.
Today Khaled - with his songs and international stature - embodies a formidable reply to the cut-throats and all those who would stop us from living and breathing freely.

Magali Bergès

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