Kader Japonais

Kader Japonais - Topic

Abdel Kader Haiboui, better known as Kader Japonais, is an Algerian Raï singer and production artist. He was born in the neighborhood of Bab-El-Oued, Algiers, Algeria.
He gained fame in the 2000s for the single "Jibou la Brigade" and again in the 2010s for the singles "Nti Sbabi" and "Waalach". He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometimes in French or Eastern Arabic dialects.
His music blends raï with chaabi, Arabic pop and other musical styles of the Maghreb. Kader's songs range from slow-paced sentimental love songs to fast-paced dance songs.
In interviews, Kader stated that he graduated with a law degree but was unable to find work in his field, so he began singing to help himself out of poverty.
The use of "Japonais" in his stage name means Japanese. It was originally a nickname he received due to his eyes, which seem to have an epicanthic fold perceived to be similar to Japanese people. Early in his career, Kader decided to adopt this nickname and incorporated it into his official stage name.
At the age of 18, he had performed at nightclubs in Algiers, and later expanded his performances to other Algerian towns such as Oran and Constantine.