Born Ahmed Chawki (Arabic: أحمد شوقي) on 31 May 1982 in Tétouan, northern Morocco, the singer, songwriter, and producer known as Chawki began his musical trajectory at an early age, composing and singing poems as a child before going on to study classical and Western singing and music theory. He launched his career on the national stage in 2000, winning first prize at the Arab Music Festival, and subsequently forming the band La Paloma in 2000—who mix Flamenco with Arab and Moroccan music—and going on to score a string of hits including "Ya Lmima," "La Paloma," and "Sinine," the latter a collaboration with the Spanish band Librejano. His solo career began to take shape in 2012 largely thanks to the support of illustrious Moroccan producer RedOne, who has worked with everyone from Lady Gaga and Shakira to One Direction and Khaled. The pair's 2013 collaborative single "Habibi I Love You," which featured US rapper Pitbull, was a huge summer hit in the Middle East as well as Europe, particularly France where it charted on the official French Singles Chart with additional French lyrics as "Habibi I Love You (Mon Amour I Love you)" and vocals featuring French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The following year, Chawki was featured in a football-themed song by Ivorian coupé-décalé group Magic System, called "Magic in the Air," which was created to mark the 2014 World Cup and was a hit in France and Belgium. Chawki has since released a number of notable singles including 2014's "Come Alive," featuring RedOne, and "It's My Life (Don't Worry)," featuring Dr. Alban, 2015's "Kayna Wla Makaynach" and hit 2016 single "Tsunami," which was nominated for African Video of the Year, Best North African Video, and Best African Dance Video at the Africa Music Video Awards. 2020 saw the release of “Together We Rise” and “Jawbni Lillah” (Arabic: جاوبني لله). The single "Ramadan Tajalla," featuring Yussef Zain, was released in 2021.
