Khaled (musician)

Khaled
خالد
Khaled performing in 2011
Background information
Birth nameKhaled Hadj Ibrahim
(خالد حاج إبراهيم)
Also known asKing of Raï
Cheb Khaled
The Ambassador of Arab music
Born (1960-02-29) 29 February 1960
Oran, French Algeria
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
Years active1974–present
LabelsUniversal
Spouse
Samira Diabi
(m. 1995)

Khaled Hadj Ibrahim (Arabic: خالد حاج إبرهيم, pronounced [ˈxaːlɪd ħaːdʒ ʔɪbraːˈhiːm]; born 29 February 1960), better known by his mononym Khaled (Arabic: خالد), is an Algerian raï singer, musician and songwriter. He began recording in his early teens under the name Cheb Khaled (شاب خالد, 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 Arab singers.[2] To date, Khaled has sold over 80.5 million albums (10 diamond, platinum, and gold) worldwide, making him the bestselling Arabic-language singer in history.[3][4] 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".[5]

He holds the Guinness World Record for best-selling artist of raï music.[6]

Forbes has consistently placed Khaled in the top celebrities of Arab Music, and placed him at high ranks for years [7]

  1. ^ Gallucci, Michael. "Khaled – Kenza". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Swedenburg 2010 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Cheb Khaled: 15 interesting facts about the 'Didi' singer". Iloveqatar.net. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  4. ^ "Cheb Khaled for Citizens of the World | Equus World". Equus-world.com. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  5. ^ Dr Christine Cornea (6 June 2007). Science Fiction Cinema. Edinburgh University Press. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7486-2870-4.
  6. ^ "Best-selling artist of raï music". Guinness World Records. Retrieved 23 June 2022.
  7. ^ https://www.forbesmiddleeast.com/lists/arab-music-stars-2021/