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Chico Slimani | |
|---|---|
 Slimani in 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Chico |
| Born | Yousseph Slimani 1971 (age 54–55) Bridgend, Wales |
| Genres | Pop,Latin |
| Occupations | Singer, actor |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Labels | Sony BMG |
Yousseph "Chico" Slimani (born 1971)[1] is a Welsh singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after reaching the quarter-finals of the2005 series of the talent showThe X Factor finishing in fifth place. In 2006, he had a number one hit on the British charts entitled "It's Chico Time". In 2008, he appeared on the reality TV showCelebAir where he came third.
Yousseph Slimani was born inBridgend, Wales. He moved to live inMorocco from the age of two, when his father took him to live on the familyfarm. He returned to the United Kingdom with his father at the age of 14. After leaving school, he trained on theYouth Training Scheme as an electrical engineer.[2]
Aspiring to have a career in arts and entertainment, Slimani took part in an exotic dance troupe called "Extreme Force" and later became a singer/compere with Lapattack. He also worked as astripper[3] for a while. From a young age, he continued writing and recording songs. In 2004, Slimani worked as an actor and co-wrote, starred, produced and provided the soundtrack for theBAFTA nominated short filmWinner Takes All alongside actor JC Mac.
JudgeSimon Cowell walked out of Slimani's initialX Factor audition after fellow judgesLouis Walsh andSharon Osbourne voted him through to the second round[4] after he performed "If I Ever Fall in Love" (fromShai) / "Kiss" (fromPrince andthe Revolution).
His category ("Over 25s") was mentored by Osbourne, who put him through to the live television phase after a particularly memorable performance at the Osbournes' "home", in which he jumped into a shallow pool and danced in the water (still holding a live microphone).[5]
Slimani was at first mocked in the press, but after changing the style of his performances to become slightly more self-mocking, he began to win voters over. He also became the first contestant in a Simon Cowell show (Pop Idol,American Idol,The X Factor) to sing an original song (co-written with X Factor vocal coachMark Hudson), the camp and iconic "It's Chico Time", named after hiscatchphrase (Chico: "What time is it?"; Audience: "It's Chico Time!")
Cowell was converted during the series, commenting that Slimani was a 'born entertainer', even if he was not the recording artist the show was looking to discover. In the quarter-final, Slimani was voted out of the competition, which was won byShayne Ward in December 2005.
The performances by Slimani during X Factor included:
Slimani had originally planned to release "It's Chico Time" as a single before Christmas 2005, but for contractual reasons, he had to wait. Slimani was quoted as saying, "I'm absolutely loving every minute of it, and looking forward to releasing the single at last". The single was eventually released in February 2006; it entered theUK Singles Chart at number one on 5 March 2006, topplingMadonna from the top spot. It remained at number one for two weeks. In early 2006, Slimani took part in the nationwideX Factor tour.
Slimani's follow-up single to No. 1 hit "It's Chico Time" was a cover of the song "D.I.S.C.O.", which entered the chart at number 24 in August 2006 on the British Singles Chart. Slimani's single was an alternative version of theOttawan hit with considerable changes in lyrics where Slimani sings: "C.H.I.C.O. on D.I.S.C.O.". He also amended the actual lyrics to "D dynamic // I incredible // S supersonic // C Chicolicious (alluding to his own name) // O oh, oh, oh".[6]
His next single, "Curvy Cola Bottle Body", was released on 8 October 2007 and reached No. 45 in its first week on the chart.[7]X Factor judge Sharon Osbourne and her husbandOzzy Osbourne appeared in the official video. Proceeds went to the BritishEating Disorders Association.
Since hisX Factor appearance, Slimani has made many public appearances all over the UK. He toured atButlins,[8] performing full 45-minute sets along with a live band and dancers as part of The Chico Experience.
He also appeared in 2006 and on later occasions under his original name, Yousseph Slimani, in Muslim events singing Islamic songs, including "Moulana", a song he composed, dedicated toMuhammad and the Awliya' (the Men of God).[9][10]
The Slimani songs "I Wanna Dance With U" and "You Take My Breath Away" were written by Roachie and produced by Danny Kirsch.[11][12] "Good Day" Another Roachie / Kirsch production was used as part of the 2007 Butlins TV adverts.[13][14]
The video for Slimani's fourth single, "Are You in It For Love",[15] was premiered on his official website. It is a cover of aRicky Martin hit. His debut album titledLights, Camera, Action was released beginning of 2009.
In 2010, Slimani recorded a single in support of the English Football Team to the2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Aptly entitled "It's England Time", a play on "It's Chico Time", it uses the same tune of his previous No. 1 hit with amended lyrics.[16] The song was first played onThe Chris Moyles Show.[17] Slimani recorded the single after having a 'vision' that England won the 2010 World Cup and that in the celebrations, commentators made reference to his Chico Time song.[18] The music video[19] was shot inPinewood Studios and the official release date of the single was 7 June 2010. Proceeds went to Rainbow Child Foundation to help underprivileged children in Africa.
In December 2019, he appeared at the 15th anniversary ofEly's Christmas light switch event.[20]
Slimani is involved with a production company called Unity Films, and his daughter appeared in one of their short films,Left Holding Baby, for which Slimani composed the music. He also stars in theBAFTA-nominated 2004 short filmWinner Takes All, along with his brother actor JC Mac. In 2005, he played a male stripper in Roberto Gomez Martin'sHell to Pay, a London underworld gangster film. In 2009, Slimani also appeared in45, a psychological thriller boxing film, also alongside JC Mac.
Slimani is married to Daniyela Rakic-Slimani, sister of 2008 and 2009 Wimbledon Men's Doubles ChampionNenad Zimonjić.[24][non-primary source needed] They have a daughter named Lalla-Khira,[25] and a son Zacharia.[26]
Slimani has spoken at anti-vaccination and anti-lockdown protests withPiers Corbyn.[27]
It was confirmed that Slimani had suffered a stroke on 21 September 2018 aged 47.[28][29]
On 20 May 2006, Slimani appeared on ITV's coverage ofThe Prince's Trust 30th Birthday Concert. He took part in aBlind Date themed skit, being picked overRoger Moore andRichard E Grant byDame Edna Everage.
Slimani founded the Rainbow Child Foundation with his wife Daniyela and JC Mac, and took part in a promotional video of the foundation[30][31][better source needed] to open an orphanage inCambodia.
He took part in another Rainbow Child Foundation project in Malawi and South Africa with the charityOne Water to see the work carried out installing Play Pumps.[citation needed] In 2011, Slimani visited Malawi and opened Play Pumps there.
Chico's single "Curvy Cola Bottle Body" is a protest against the "size zero" phenomenon. As part of its promotion, Chico teamed up with the British Eating Disorders Association (BEAT) charity. Profits from the single were donated to the charity.[citation needed]
Proceeds from Slimani's 2010 single "It's England Time" went to the Rainbow Child Foundation to help underprivileged children in Africa.[32]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [33] | IRE [34] | |||
| "It's Chico Time"[35] | 2006 | 1 | 3 | |
| "D.I.S.C.O."[36] | 24 | 39 | ||
| "Curvy Cola Bottle Body Baby" | 2007 | 45 | — | |
| "Are You in It for Love" | — | — | ||
| "It's England Time" | 2010 | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. | ||||
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "It's Chico Time" | 2006 | N/A |
| "D.I.S.C.O." | N/A | |
| "Curvy Cola Bottle Body Baby" | 2007 | N/A |
| "Are You in It For Love" | N/A | |
| "It's England Time" | 2010 | N/A |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
