He rose to fame in 2013 after his collaboration with Moroccan-Swedish producer RedOne in the international hit "Habibi I Love You" (meaning My lover, I love you) featuring accompanying rap by the Cuban-American rapper Pitbull. The song became a big summer hit on the Middle Eastern charts and all over European, Asian and international markets.
He is signed to 2101 Records, label founded and owned by RedOne.
Chawki has been composing and singing poems since childhood. He studied at the National School of Theatre and Singing, and took part in a number of events and won several awards. He then enrolled at the Institute of Fine Arts in Tétouan, specializing in classical and Western singing, while studying musical theory.
In 2000, Chawki took the first prize at the Arab Music Festival, organized by "Maison du Littoral" in Tetouan.
He then formed his musical band La Paloma alongside other young musicians. La Paloma that made a fusion sound based on Arab, Moroccan and flamenco music participated for years to come on several national and international festivals, with big success and media coverage. As a result, he became a regular guest on Television shows and on radio channels, including 2M via the program Nasima and Chanel One. His hit songs included "Ya Lmima", "La Paloma" and "Sinine", the latter in collaboration with the Spanish band Librejano.
2009 and 2010 saw release of further hits by Chawki including "Inta Lya", "Ya Nassini", "Ghaly" and "La Paloma" with moderate success, despite lack of support by record labels.
Chawki caught the attention of RedOne during the production of the collective pan-Arab operetta work "Bukra" (in Arabic بكرة meaning tomorrow) in cooperation with Quincy Jones. Eventually Chawki was included alongside a great number of Arab artists in the project. Ahmed Chawki's breakthrough came in 2012, when he teamed up with RedOne. At that time, RedOne had produced Khaled latest album C'est la vie and the title track "C'est la vie" opening the door for further collaborations with Middle East acts including Ahmed Chawki. "Habibi I Love You", a multilingual crossover song with Arabic elements and western dance tunes.
The main version of "Habibi I Love You" by Ahmed Chawki featuring Pitbull became a big hit during the summer of 2013, with a live performance during the closing ceremonies of Festival Mawazine 2013 in Rabat and topping the charts in Lebanon, Egypt and the Persian Gulf area during summer 2013.
The song was notably a hit in France charting in SNEP, the official French Singles Chart with additional French lyrics as "Habibi I Love You (Mon Amour I Love you)" with vocals featuring French-Algerian singer Kenza Farah. The French trilingual version was launched with a live performance in Marseilles during the "Fête de la Musique" on 21 June 2013. It was popularized in Spain and all Hispanic markets with a Spanish language additional lyrics interpreted both by Ahmed Chawki and singer Sophia Del Carmen and rap by Pitbull. The song was a summer hit in the Netherlands through a Dutch version that included Dutch singer Do van Hulst, The Dutch version, actually a multilingual Dutch, Spanish, English and Arabic version was credited to Chawki featuring Pitbull & Do. It was performed by Chawki and Do on RTL Late Night.The song also sold quite well in Scandinavian markets owing to involvement of RedOne, who had started his career in Sweden. Chawki's song has been covered including in Romanian as "Habibi" by Nek si Blondu de la Timisoara. Ahmed Chawki released an official Romanian version that features Mandinga with additional Romanian lyrics. Chawki perfforms his parts in Arabic and Spanish.
The song has been subject to great number of remixes and appears in a number of compilations. It also remains greatly popular with zumba fitness exercise adherents.
Come Alive
Chawki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
oh oh oh oh Morocco to the world
My people come alive
on est là
My people come alive
We give our all as one (This is what we do)
Won't stop until we're done (This is what we do)
We'll never settle for less (uh huh uh huh)
The world will know we're the best (uh huh uh huh)
Let's clap our hands and sing (This is what we do)
and really live our dream (This is what we do)
Won't let the time pass us by (uh huh uh huh)
Our passion will never die (uh huh uh huh)
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
oh oh oh oh Morocco to the world
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là
My people come alive
Tradition filled with pride (This is what we do)
With love you cannot hide (This is what we do)
This day you know who we are (uh huh uh huh)
And shout our name near and far (uh huh uh huh)
Hands up and raise them high (This is what we do)
Reach up and touch the sky (This is what we do)
Come on and just lift your voice (uh huh uh huh)
Right now you don't have a choice (uh huh uh huh)
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
oh oh oh oh Morocco to the world
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là
My people come alive
We celebrate now and live our dream
Color my heart red and green
Me casa su casa whats mine is yours
Welcome to my home
We celebrate now and live our dream
Color my heart red and green
Me casa su casa whats mine is yours
Welcome to my home
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là la la la la la
oh oh oh oh Morocco to the world
My people come alive
Here we are here we are
on est là
My people come alive
"Come Alive" is a song by Moroccan artist Chawki that celebrates his sense of belonging and pride in his culture. The chorus "My people come alive, here we are, here we are, on est là la la la la la" speaks to the power of unity and the strength that comes from standing together. The song is also an anthem of sorts, with Chawki declaring "Morocco to the world" and expressing confidence in his country's ability to make an impact on the global stage.
Throughout the song, Chawki uses short, simple phrases to articulate his message of unity and determination. He talks about giving his all as one, never settling for less, and reaching for the sky. These themes are reflected in the upbeat and energetic melody, which features a driving beat, handclaps, and a call-and-response section.
One of the most striking parts of the song is the bridge, which switches to English and features the lines "Color my heart red and green, mi casa su casa what's mine is yours, welcome to my home." This section represents a moment of openness and hospitality, as Chawki invites listeners to connect with him and his culture on a personal level. The combination of these different elements makes "Come Alive" a powerful and engaging song that speaks to the joys and challenges of building a strong community.
Line by Line Meaning
My people come alive
Let's celebrate and show the world who we are - people of Morocco.
Here we are here we are on est là la la la la la
We're present, we're enthusiastic, we're here to stay!
oh oh oh oh Morocco to the world
We are bringing our Moroccan pride and culture to the world.
We give our all as one (This is what we do)
We dedicate ourselves wholly and achieve our goals collaboratively as a team.
Won't stop until we're done (This is what we do)
We are determined to reach our aspirations and strive to be the best at what we do.
We'll never settle for less (uh huh uh huh)
We will never compromise on our values and standards.
The world will know we're the best (uh huh uh huh)
We are confident that through our hard work, the world will recognize our success and worth.
Let's clap our hands and sing (This is what we do)
We celebrate in joyous harmony, expressing our sense of rhythm and spirit.
and really live our dream (This is what we do)
We are passionate and dedicated towards accomplishing our aspirations.
Won't let the time pass us by (uh huh uh huh)
We make the most of our time and opportunities to reach our goals.
Our passion will never die (uh huh uh huh)
We will never lose sight of our dreams and will continue to work towards them with fervor.
Tradition filled with pride (This is what we do)
We cherish our cultural heritage and esteem it highly.
With love you cannot hide (This is what we do)
We openly express our compassion and care towards our community.
This day you know who we are (uh huh uh huh)
We take pride in showcasing our identity and making it known to the world.
And shout our name near and far (uh huh uh huh)
We want the world to remember our name and recognize our accomplishments.
Hands up and raise them high (This is what we do)
We exhibit our excitement by raising our hands and spreading positivity.
Reach up and touch the sky (This is what we do)
We aspire to reach greater heights and fulfill our potential.
Come on and just lift your voice (uh huh uh huh)
We encourage everyone to join in and express themselves confidently.
Right now you don't have a choice (uh huh uh huh)
We are so pumped up that we won't take no for an answer - c'mon and join the party!
We celebrate now and live our dream
We are celebrating our achievements and pursuing our ambitions.
Color my heart red and green
Our flag's colors of red and green reflect the energy and beauty of our culture and land.
Me casa su casa whats mine is yours
We welcome you in the spirit of friendship and hospitality, making our home yours too.
Welcome to my home
We're happy to share our lives and culture with you - come on in!
Contributed by Ella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@WeSpeakFootball
3:25 Error error hhh
i love the song tho ;)
@hichamhamdi5586
+Oufaida hhhhhhhhhhh vive maroc
@infamous8144
هه ويااه 😅
@mounaimacha4114
@wach bsah? pp
@user-ed4ix9bl2r
2023 وما زالت اغنيه يبعث الأمل في أعماقي من العراق الئ شعب مغربي العظيم🇮🇶❤🇲🇦
@ccassiani3
Love you Morroco 🇲🇦 from Colombia🇨🇴
@angeldina5624
I'm from Morocco🇲🇦
@user-qm6lr4qf5f
THANKiO🇲🇦🇲🇦✌✌.
@dirijoyt5761
I love Colombia too
@zakariaslayer715
thanks 🇲🇦🇲🇦🇨🇴🇨🇴