Cheb Mami

Cheb Mami soon turned his attention to his own solo career once again, bringing out a new album entitled "Dellali" (The Loved One), in June 2001. Aimed at a cosmopolitan audience, Mami's new album featured a rich mix of languages and musical influences, featuring everything from house and Flamenco to reggae and African music. Indeed, the musical fusion on "Dellali" proved so intense that many of Mami's purist fans complained the singer's infectious Raï rhythms had become submerged in a sort of please-all mish-mash. Criticisms notwithstanding, no-one could deny that Mami's vocals were as brilliant as ever and the album also featured an impressive list of guest stars – including contributions from everyone from Charles Aznavour ("Viens habibi") to Bob Marley's son, Ziggy ("Madanite") and the famous guitarist Chet Atkins. What's more, "Dellali" was produced by none other than Nile Rodgers, ex-frontman of the legendary disco group Chic and the man behind David Bowie's worldwide hit "Let's Dance".

Following the success of his album, Mami kept up a hectic schedule throughout the summer of 2001, performing at all the season's top music events including the Nice Jazz Festival on July 27th.

As his international career really began to take off, Cheb Mami planned a solo tour in the States. Unfortunately it was cancelled in the wake of the events of September 11th 2001. Disappointed, the singer was to wait until December 29th to walk back on stage. On that date, he performed at the Bercy Stadium, where 14,000 fans had gathered to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the rai singer’s career.