- Also known as:
- Cheb Khaled
- In full:
- Khaled Hadj Brahim
- Born:
- February 29, 1960, Oran, Algeria (age 66)
Khaled
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Who is Khaled?
Khaled, born on February 29, 1960, in Oran, Algeria, is a popular Algerian singer who introduced Western audiences to raï, a genre blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western musical traditions.
Khaled's career began at a young age, mastering instruments like the accordion, guitar, and harmonica by age 10, and recording his first single at 14. He gained prominence in the 1980s, becoming a central figure in the raï scene and known for his stylistic innovations and passionate voice.
His music, celebrating youth and freedom, faced opposition from Islamic extremists, leading him to move to France in 1988. In Europe, he continued to expand his music's appeal, collaborating with diverse musicians and releasing albums like Kenza (2000), Ya-Rayi (2004), Liberté (2009), and C’est la vie (2012).
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Which country is Khaled from?
Khaled, born on February 29, 1960, is an Algerian singer who popularized raï music, a blend of North African, Middle Eastern, and Western musical traditions.
Khaled's music embodies youth, pleasure, and freedom. However, his lifestyle once made him a target of Islamic extremists, who viewed his music as corrupting. This led him to move to France in 1988. In Europe, Khaled broadened his music's appeal while collaborating with diverse musicians. His albums include Kenza (2000), Ya-Rayi (2004), Liberté (2009), and C’est la vie (2012).
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What style of music is Khaled famous for?
Khaled is famous for raï, a style of Algerian popular music blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western traditions. Emerging in the 1920s in Oran, Algeria, raï ran counter to accepted artistic and social norms, incorporating the adversity of urban life in its raw lyrics.
Khaled, known as Cheb Khaled in the 1980s, innovated the genre by integrating drum machines, synthesizers, and electric guitars. His stylistic innovations and passionate voice propelled raï's popularity, though his celebration of a carefree lifestyle led to threats from Islamic extremists, causing him to relocate to France.
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What is the importance of rai music in Khaled's career?
Khaled, born in Algeria, is known for introducing Western audiences to raï, a genre blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western musical traditions.
Khaled cultivated raï music, which originated in Oran, Algeria, in the 1920s. By 1985, he was central to the first international raï festival, his name synonymous with the genre. His stylistic innovations and passionate voice boosted raï's popularity in the 1980s and 90s. Khaled's music embodied youth, pleasure, and freedom.
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What are some of Khaled's most popular songs?
Khaled, born in Oran, Algeria, on February 29, 1960, is a popular singer who introduced Western audiences to raï, a genre blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western musical traditions.
By the 1980s, Khaled was a central figure in raï music, with his name becoming synonymous with the genre. His stylistic innovations, such as using pedal steel guitars and Asian string instruments in his song "N’ssi N’ssi," and his passionate voice, increased raï's popularity. Other albums showcasing his work include Kenza (2000), Ya-Rayi (2004), Liberté (2009), and C’est la vie (2012).
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How has Khaled influenced music both in Algeria and internationally?
Khaled, born in Algeria, significantly impacted music both in his homeland and globally by introducing raï to Western audiences, blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western musical traditions.
Khaled's innovations in the 1980s and 1990s, such as using pedal steel guitars and Asian string instruments in his song "N’ssi N’ssi," and his passionate voice, greatly increased raï's popularity. His music embodied youth and freedom, attracting international audiences. Facing threats from Islamic extremists, Khaled moved to France, continuing to broaden his music's appeal by collaborating with diverse musicians.
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Khaled (born February 29, 1960, Oran, Algeria) is an Algerian popular singer who introduced Western audiences to raï—a form of Algerian popular music blending North African, Middle Eastern, and Western traditions.
Khaled was known for exuding happiness, especially when performing. By age 10 he was playing a variety of instruments, including the accordion, guitar, and harmonica, and at 14 he recorded his first single, “La Route de lycée” (“The Road to School”). As he matured, Khaled began to cultivate a type of local popular music called raï (a name derived etymologically from the Arabic word meaning “opinion” or “advice”), which had blossomed in the Algerian port city of Oran in the 1920s. Then known as “little Paris,” Oran was a melting pot of various cultures and had a lively nightlife. Out of this milieu emerged female singers called cheikhas, who rejected the poetic and classical lyrics of traditional Algerian music, singing instead about the conditions of urban life in a raw and gritty language reminiscent of American blues. Raï of the later 20th century built on the music of these women, retaining the plain speaking and the flouting of accepted mores while increasingly incorporating the sounds of Western rock and roll, Jamaican reggae, Egyptian and Moroccan pop, and other innovative styles.
In the 1980s Khaled and other singers added drum machines, synthesizers, and electric guitars to the mix; they also adopted the name Cheb (“Young”) to distinguish themselves and their music from their predecessors, who performed the older style of raï. By the time the first international raï festival was held in Algeria in 1985, Cheb Khaled was the central figure; his name had become virtually synonymous with the genre.
In the 1980s and ’90s raï’s popularity increased dramatically, largely because of Cheb Khaled’s stylistic innovations—such as the use of pedal steel guitars and Asian string instruments in his song “N’ssi N’ssi”—and his rich, passionate singing voice. Meanwhile, he and his music came to be perceived internationally as an embodiment of the spirit of youth, pleasure, and sexual freedom. Cheb Khaled’s celebration of this lifestyle, however, made him a target of Islamic extremists, who regarded his music as a corrupting influence on the young and issued a fatwa, in effect a death sentence, against those espousing its message. Consequently, Khaled moved to France in 1988 and did not visit Algeria for some years. In the 1990s, having grown older, Khaled dropped “Cheb” from his name.
In Europe Khaled strove to increase his music’s appeal, especially among Western audiences, while continuing to work with a variety of musicians representing styles from North Africa, the Middle East, India, and the United States. The fruits of these collaborations included albums such as Kenza (2000), Ya-Rayi (2004), Liberté (2009), and C’est la vie (2012).