World Song Contest

The 22nd edition of the World Song Contest started in December 2006 to end with the first winner of 2007. 43 songs competed to have that honour. And once again, they came from each continents. So once again, semi finals were organised to have a final with 30 participants. From the 26 songs that qualified, Argentina survived thanks to F.Y.R. of Macedonia disqualification but managed to reach the 14th position in the final. That's how the results of the semi finals can seem weird. The United Kingdom won their heat but failed to reach the top 20, finishing at the 23rd position in the final.

4 countries were directly qualified for the final after WSC .21. What could appear as a disadvantage wasn't as they all reached the top 10. It was also time for some players and countries to make their big premiere. Canada and Germany were among them, but it's Venezuela's first top 10 position which probably was noticed by most of the players. If Nelly Furtado succeeded in her task for Canada, Eurovision winner Ruslana didn't, as she finished 28th for Ukraine. An unusual fact for an ESC related artist, and more for a winner of that contest.

If we consider America's as onehuge continent, then only Asia still have to win the contest. Africa was often forgotten by the players, and it was only on rare occasions that someone played for a country from that continent. Algeria made its debut in the previous edition, and finished 2nd. It was only to do better in the next edition. Algeria easily won with a difference of 50 points. The winning song, "Henna", performed by Cheb Khaled and Cameron Cartio, became the first African song to win the contest.

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THE WINNER

Country: Algeria
Artist(s): Cameron Cartio feat. Khaled
Song: Henna

Cameron Cartio (born Kamran on 9 April 1978 in Tehran, Iran) is a well known Swedish pop singer and songwriter of Iranian descent. At eight years old, Cartio's family left Tehran to spend a year in Barcelona, after which they moved to Malmö in southern Sweden. Cartio and his family ended up in Rosengård. Cartio made his debut in Melodifestivalen 2005 with the song "Roma". It made it to the Top 5 of the Swedish music charts peaking at #4 (April 2005). His first album, Borderless followed. His song Henna (partly in Arabic) and his collaboration with Khaled made him popular throughout the Arab World. 

Born Khaled Hajji Brahim in Oran, the traditional center of Raï, Khaled was attracted to music from an early age, especially to Raï, which was seen at the time of the music of outcasts, drunks, and prostitutes, although he also loved James Brown and the Beatles. He taught himself to play guitar, bass, harmonica, and accordion, releasing his debut disc, "Trigh Lycee," when he was just 14. Leaving home, he began on the peripatetic life of the musician, performing frequently at clubs, parties, and weddings (the only places where Raï was seen as an "acceptable" form of entertainment). It was in the early '80s that Cheb (meaning "young") Khaled's fortunes changed, when he met up with producer Rachid Baba Ahmed, who was revolutionizing the Raï form by introducing Western electric instruments and studio techniques. Together, they changed the face of the music. Khaled was the right voice at the right time and the addition of drum machines, synthesizers, and guitars took the music to a new generation, even though much of it continued to be censored by the Algerian government, which considered the style subversive. A number of those early tracks can be found on Le Meilleur de Cheb Khaled on Blue Silver. By 1986, Khaled (who'd now dropped the Cheb) had been forced to move to Paris, as violence in Algeria claimed lives and he'd been threatened several times (producer Ahmed would, in fact, be murdered, as would several Raï performers). Arriving with a reputation, he attempted to take his music to a global level, although his real debut, Kutche, did him no favors with its jazz-rock arrangements. He fared much better with 1992's Khaled, with some tracks produced by Michael Brook and others by Don Was. It yielded his first big hit, "Didi," and helped consolidate his reputation as Raï's first superstar. That was firmly cemented the following year with the Was-produced N'ssi N'ssi, which mixed funk, rock, and an Egyptian orchestra behind Khaled's persuasive voice and winning smile for a major commercial breakthrough in France, winning a European, as well as North African, audience. In 1996, he hit again with Sahra, whose first single, "Aïcha," written for his daughter, gave Khaled a French number one hit. A mix of producers gave varying sounds, with French hip-hoppers Akhenton & Imhotep proving the hardest on the track "Oran Marseille" with its rapid-fire rap. There was even some reggae on "Mektoubi," which merged relatively seamlessly with the North African sound. While well-received critically, it sold little in the U.S. however, unlike France, where the album became Khaled's biggest success. Perhaps the moment that justified his title of King of Raï, however, came in 1999, when he headlined the 1-2-3 Soleils concert in Paris (which led to the album of the same name), over Rachid Taha and Faudel. It was the biggest Algerian show ever staged in France and left no doubt that Khaled remained Raï's hottest attraction. 2000 brought Kenza and a change of producer, as former prog rocker Steve Hillage helped bring a more organic feel to the proceedings. A smash in Europe, once again it did little business in the U.S. He came back in 2004, after a five-year hiatus, with Ya-Rayi, and in 2009, after another five-year hiatus, with Liberté.