Khaled Hadj Ibrahim, known mononymously as Khaled, was born on February 29, 1960, in Oran, Algeria. He is a renowned Algerian raï singer, musician, and songwriter, often referred to as the "King of Raï" and "The Ambassador of Arab Music." Khaled began his musical career in his early teens, recording under the name Cheb Khaled, which means "Young Khaled," a common title for male raï singers.

Khaled's rise to fame was significantly supported by Lieutenant-Colonel Hosni Snoussi, who facilitated his participation in the 1985 Festival de la Jeunesse pour la Fête Nationale in Algiers. That same year, he was crowned the king of raï at the first official festival of raï in Oran. His international breakthrough came with the 1992 album "Khaled," produced by Don Was, featuring the hit single "Didi," which gained immense popularity across Europe, the Arab world, and Asia.

Khaled's music is a fusion of traditional Algerian raï with Western musical elements such as pop, blues, jazz, and reggae. He is celebrated for his rich, passionate singing voice and his role in popularizing raï music globally. Khaled has sold over 80.5 million albums worldwide, making him the bestselling Arabic-language singer in history. His notable songs include "Aïcha," "El Arbi," "Abdel Kader," "C'est la vie," and "Alech Taadi."

Throughout his career, Khaled has been recognized for building cultural bridges through his music, earning him a place among the top celebrities in Arab music as consistently ranked by Forbes. He holds the Guinness World Record for the best-selling artist of raï music. Khaled continues to be an influential figure in the music world, with a career spanning several decades.