Karim Kacel

A French singer of Algerian origin, Karim Kacel enjoyed success in the 1980s with his hits "Banlieue" and "P'tite sœur". Born in Paris on August 30, 1959 to parents who had emigrated from Algeria, he made a name for himself with his lyrics describing the daily lives of children from immigrant families like himself, using the most classic French chanson. Signed to the Pathé/EMI label, he recorded his first single, "Banlieue", in 1982, which proved a hit with the public, followed by his first album, Gens Qui Rient, Gens Qui Pleurent (1984), for which he wrote the lyrics and music, with the participation of arrangers Jean Musy, Michel Bernholc and Slim Pezin. The same year, the singer sang the theme tune for Marc Angelo's film Tir à vue ("Un gosse qui gamberge") and wrote the music for Mehdi Charef's feature film Le Thé au harem d'Archimède. In 1986, Karim Kacel's album P'tite Sœur and its title track were also highly acclaimed, earning him the Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros. Kacel performed at major song festivals and at the Olympia in Paris for three concerts in February 1988, winning the Prix Piaf for best show and the Prix du Petit Robert for best lyricist in 1989, presented in person by Léo Ferré. He followed this up with the albums Sans en Avoir l'Air (1988), Ruses de Sioux (1991), L'Orage Est Passé (1995), Ce N'Est Qu'Un Jeu (1997) and Rien Que pour Toi (2002), before a first live recording with En Scène (2003), Une Autre (2007) and a tribute to one of his inspirers, Karim Kacel Chante Serge Reggiani (2010). In 2015, he released the self-produced album Encore Un Jour, whose cover features the singer drawn by Georges Moustaki, and for which he included a string quartet among the musicians.

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