In 1992, a song in Algerian Arabic became a hit in France, across the Arab world and, surprisingly, in India. “Didi” made Khaled a global star.
Khaled Hadj Brahim was born in 1960 in Sidi El Houari, a neighbourhood of Oran in western Algeria. He started singing as a teenager and was known as Cheb Khaled, “young Khaled”, following the custom of raï singers.
Raï
The word raï means opinion or point of view, and the music developed in Oran in the early twentieth century, drawing on Bedouin folk songs, and was sung by women and men in taverns and at weddings. Its lyrics were often about love, drinking, freedom and daily struggles, which made it controversial with conservative authorities. In the 1970s and 1980s, singers added synthesisers, drum machines and electric guitars, creating pop raï.
Exile
As Algeria moved toward civil conflict in the late 1980s and 1990s, raï singers faced threats from Islamist militants, who regarded their music as immoral. The raï singer Cheb Hasni was killed in 1994. Khaled moved to France in the late 1980s, joining a large Algerian community, where he built his international career.
Didi
His 1992 album, simply titled Khaled, included “Didi”, produced by Don Was. The song’s catchy chorus and dance rhythm made it a hit in France and across the Mediterranean, and it became hugely popular in India and Pakistan, even without translation.
Aïcha
In 1996, he released “Aïcha”, written by Jean-Jacques Goldman, sung in French and Arabic. It topped the French charts and became one of the biggest hits of his career.
1, 2, 3 Soleils
In 1998, Khaled performed with Rachid Taha and Faudel at a concert in Paris called 1, 2, 3 Soleils. The live album sold well and celebrated North African music in France.
Later career
Khaled has continued to record and tour, including “C’est la vie” in 2012, produced by RedOne, which became a hit in North Africa and beyond.
Legacy
Khaled carried raï from Oran’s clubs to the world’s stages and helped establish North African music in French pop culture. He is often called the King of Raï.
Raï was once a music of the margins, sung in bars and banned from Algerian radio. Khaled made it a sound that played at weddings from Oran to Mumbai.
