Khaled’s reunion with the Quebec audience at the SuperFrancoFête will not go unanswered. The King of Raï is preparing a tour of Quebec in the fall.
It is already known that the 63-year-old North African artist will take the stage at the Olympia in Montreal on October 13th and 14th. However, Le Journal has learned that dates in other cities, including Quebec, could be announced soon.
“It’s been a long time, I’ve waited too long. When I arrived, I was like a baby,” Khaled confided in an interview with the Journal before reboarding the plane on Friday.
As a matter of fact. Before he sang his hits “Aïcha” and “C’est la vie” at the Agora in Quebec last Thursday, his last appearance with us was in May 2013 in Montreal.
An unexpected success
Quebecers have not forgotten. From the first notes of Aïcha, several audience members at the SuperFrancoFête stood up to dance.
“It’s an honor to sing this song written by a great man, Jean-Jacques Goldman,” says Khaled, who is also very proud that the show ended with a collective rendition of C’est la vie.
He admits to being surprised by the success of this song, released in 2012, which has been played 127 million times on Spotify.
“When I did Didi in 1991, there were 48 countries. When I did Aïcha in 1995, it opened new horizons for me, I traveled to 70 countries. It’s life, it made the world explode,” he says.
speaker
No wonder Khaled is revered and regarded as the King of Raï in the Maghreb countries.
He humbly prefers to call himself ambassador, but does not refuse his crown, just as he does not refuse to appear in the Western media as a spokesman for the citizens of the Middle East.
“When there are small problems, I am called upon to represent the Arab community. A heavy responsibility? Yes, but you have to accept it.”
Make love…
Luckily, Khaled notes, there is music.
“Football and music have a huge impact on the world right now. If there is a message to convey, it is her [le foot et la musique] “Brings people together better than politicians,” says the man who sang CHAMPIONS, the official anthem of the last World Cup in Qatar.
Khaled says he is aware of his influence on his audience. “Artists like me don’t have to do stupid things so that people don’t copy.”
And what message does Khaled want to convey with his art? “I didn’t go to school, I didn’t study music theory. It’s a gift from my big boss. So when I go on stage, I say thank you, God, for giving me this music that is about love and not war.”
- Khaled at the Olympia in Montreal, October 13th and 14th.