Cheb Mami
Cheb Mami is an Algerian raï singer, known as the Prince of Raï. His duet Desert Rose with the British singer Sting was a hit across Europe in 2000. He was born Mohamed Khelifati on 11 July 1966 in Saïda, in western Algeria.
Cheb Mami is an Algerian raï singer, known as the Prince of Raï. His duet Desert Rose with the British singer Sting was a hit across Europe in 2000. He was born Mohamed Khelifati on 11 July 1966 in Saïda, in western Algeria.
Khelifati came second in the television talent contest Alhane wa Chabab in 1982, at about 16.
In 1985 he first sang in Paris, and in 1986 he became the first raï singer to perform at the Olympia. After his military service in Algeria, he settled in Paris in 1989.
Albums such as Let Me Raï (1990), Saïda (1994) and Meli Meli (1998) built his success in France. Desert Rose, recorded with Sting in 1999, reached the top 10 in several European countries and number 15 in the United Kingdom.
In July 2009 the Bobigny criminal court sentenced him to 5 years in prison in a case brought by a former partner. He was released on parole in March 2011.
Back on stage in Algiers in July 2011, the singer performed at the closing ceremony of the Mediterranean Games in Oran in July 2022. In August 2025 he sang at the Hammamet International Festival in Tunisia.
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