Leila K

Biography

Laila El Khalifi (Arabic: ليلى الخليفي; born 6 September 1971) better known by her stage name Leila K, is a Swedish Eurodance singer and rapper of Moroccan descent.

Early life

El Khalifi's parents decided to send her to a school in Morocco, but she did not fit into the system so after one year she returned to Sweden.

Musical career

Leila was discovered by the musical duo Rob'n'Raz when singing in a music contest. They liked her music and offered her a recording contract in 1988. Together with Rob'n'Raz she had her first hit in 1989 with the song "Got to Get×Got to Get1989 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Got to Get (extended mix)4:322Got to Get (Motor City mix)5:253Got to Get (Stone’s Nordik Swing Theory)4:444Got to Get (Hitman’s Home mix)5:00" (first recorded within the UK as a pre-production demo by Pete Towns of P&P Productions) and released an album in 1990, Rob'n'Raz featuring Leila K.
During the first years of her career she had many chart-topping hits and her music was played all over Europe. She broke up with Rob'n'Raz and went on her own to Ibiza, where she set up concerts on her own. In 1990 she collaborated with Dr. Alban on his single "Hello Afrika". Her solo career started in 1991 with the single "Time" which she followed up with other singles, such as "Open Sesame×Open Sesame1992 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Open Sesame (Bouncing Baby mix)3:422Open Sesame (Felix remix)5:213Sesame Music9:12" and a cover version of Plastic Bertrand's "Ça Plane Pour Moi".
In 1995 Leila K was back on the music scene with the single "Electric×Electric1995 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Electric (short version)3:382Electric (long version)5:593Electric (vocal remix)6:13". She kept releasing new music until 1997, but since then she has not released anything new.
In 1998, SVT made a documentary about Leila K's claim to stardom called Fuck You, Fuck You Very Much. The event focuses on an incident that happened during the 1996 Swedish Grammis awards. In 2000, she appeared on Daisy Dee's "Open Sesame" video, a cover of her own 1992 hit. This mentioned song is sampled on U96's single "Love Religion". Daisy Dee was the presenter of the show Viva Club Rotation at the time. In 2003, Swedish media reported that Leila K was living on the streets, stealing food to survive. The record company decided to help her financially by releasing a compilation album titled Leila K's Greatest Tracks×Greatest Tracks2003 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Carousel4:312Electric3:353Ça plane pour moi3:244Open Sesame3:575Slow Motion4:026Got to Get3:227Rok the Nation4:598Rude Boy3:119C’mon Now3:0310Murderer3:1111Hello Afrika5:4612Check the Dan4:1413Blacklisted3:5414Time3:3015Magic Ball3:2816I Love to Roll2:0517Close Your Eyes3:2418Positive Energy3:2619Possessed3:0820Burning Up3:28.
In 2005, the Swedish cartoonist Martin Kellerman conducted an interview with Leila K for his own comic book magazine, Rocky. In June 2007, Swedish media reported that she turned up as a surprise guest at a release party for the book Bögjävlar, performing the songs "Ça Plane Pour Moi" and "Electric".
In May 2011, Leila K appeared for the first time in years as a featured guest on a new track called "Legendary×Legendary6 June 2011 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Legendary3:36", by artist Wallenberg.

Trivia

Leila K's track "Rude Boy×Rude Boy1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Rude Boy (album version)3:122Rude Boy (Stonebridge radio)3:413Rude Boy (Stonebridge club mix)6:314Rude Boy (long version)6:115Rude Boy (Phat Swede dub)5:536Rude Boy (Monday Bar dub)6:33" is the source of Darude's artist name.

Featured on

Dr. Alban feat. Leila K - Hello Afrika (1990)
Elephant & Castle vs. Leila K – Burning Up (Madonna cover) (1999)
House of Wallenberg feat. Leila K - Legendary (2011)
Håkan Hellström feat. Leila K - Ska flyga nu (2020)