Khaled Hadj Brahim was born in 1960 on February 29. He is a native of Oran, Algeria, and as a young singer was known as Cheb Khaled; he and his generation of singers and songwriters called their music "rai." Some of these performers, along with recording producers who also became local celebrities by making records with them, have been casualties of "les integristes," the Islamic fundamentalists in North Africa. Hadj Brahim got out in one piece and is raising a family in France.
In an interview, Hadj Brahim joked that having a birthday every four years is more economical than having an "anniversaire" every year.