It seems that international stars are slowly taking over the musical charts in the US, with new artists appearing almost weekly. Some have taken the traditional route, like Britain's Ed Sheeran, by working shows and producing albums. Others have gone a less traditional route, like British boy band One Direction or Canadian star Carly Rae Jepsen, opting for reality talent shows to rise to fame. Yet a new phenomenon has taken over the music industry where stars are becoming increasingly popular through YouTube before breaking into the musical charts (see Canadian Justin Bieber and South Korea's Psy).
Last summer, veteran singer-rapper Psy, who was relatively famous in his home country, exploded among international listeners with his latest video, "Gangnam Style." The video, which quickly became the number one video on YouTube, amassed over 529 million views and more than 4 million likes in just three months. The song has catapulted Psy to international superstardom and has even landed him an American music deal.
So who will be next to become an international hit and become a household name among American listeners? Meet Khaled, a 52-year-old Algerian singer, better known as Cheb Khaled, who has garnered fame not only in the Middle East but in France as well. His latest album, C'est La Vie, is slowly making its way to the US and could easily become a hit among YouTube viewers.
Khaled's new video, "C'est La Vie," has already recorded over 5 million views on YouTube, with over 21,000 likes. The Algerian star also has a single out with American rapper Pittbull called "Hya Hya." His fanbase on Facebook is also expanding (he has close to 300K likes) and will probably continue to grow after being featured by celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
Although many of his songs are in French and Arabic, Khaled's fun beats are likely to become quite popular among America's music lovers. After all, Psy's catchy tune and iconic dance moves helped his Korean song soar to international success without any necessary translation.
WATCH "C'EST LA VIE" BY KHALED