Opinions in his lyrics

It’s easy to get an opinion from Khaled, the Algerian singer-songwriter known as the “King of Rai.” Ask a question and the words pour out, a tumble of ideas interspersed with his hearty laughter.

All of which makes sense, since rai -- in addition to being the name of a hugely popular style of North African music -- is an Arabic word for “opinion.” And Khaled, as one of the genre’s pioneer practitioners, is a master at expressing his opinion.

Last week, preparing for the Atlanta opening night of a tour that brings him to the Grand Performances at the California Plaza on Friday, he ebulliently described the rehearsal scene.

“In this band, it’s like a fiesta,” said Khaled, his comments translated from Arabic by his producer, Dawn Elder. “We have every nationality, and we’re all friends. What we’re doing, and what you’ll see happening when we have all of our 28 musicians onstage in Los Angeles, is the organic fusion that we’re preparing in rehearsal. We’ll have my songs, we’ll have songs from the new album, and I’ll sing songs written by other musicians like K.C. Porter, from Elan, and Freddie Ravel. So the music is intertwined. It’s not like one person ever leaves the stage. They’re all a part of everything.”

That’s a topic that came up often in the conversation, in part because Khaled focuses on themes of peace and understanding. In 1999 he recorded John Lennon’s “Imagine” in Arabic and Hebrew with Israeli singer Noa. That particular song was released in the year that Khaled made his first return visit to his native Algeria after growing Islamic fundamentalism had prompted his exile to France for more than a decade.

His current album -- “Ya-Rayi” in the import version, “Ya-Rayi: Peace Through Music, Love to the People” in the re-mixed domestic release -- was co-produced by Don Was, who also produced “Didi,” his 1992 hit.

Khaled, whose full name is Khaled Hadj Brahim, was born in a suburb of the Algerian city of Oran on Feb. 29, 1960. His first recording, “Trig El Lici,” released when he was 14, was an Algerian radio hit. By the time he was 17 he was a well-known national performer with five cassette albums. Even at that stage in his career, however, Khaled was an adventurer, always seeking to expand the horizons of rai music.

“In the ‘70s,” he said, “we used the violin, the bongos, acoustic piano and guitar (but not electric) with older instruments like the ney flute. Then, in the ‘80s we had the electric guitar and the synthesizer, and we married the Western drums with the traditional percussion. Then we started being able to multitrack things, mix them, use electronic drums, and in the ‘90s, the computer.”

But he adds that none of these progressive developments, none of the additional elements of funk rhythms, hip-hop, zouk, reggae and rock that coursed through his recordings, altered his belief in acoustic music and the spirit of live performance.

“Music has to constantly evolve,” Khaled said. “But when it comes to my recording, it must be all live, with live musicians. Don Was told me once that a performer can’t be a slave to technology. And he’s right. When you go and perform live, the computer can’t do it for you. And when I’m in the studio, if I can’t do what I do in live performance, then it’s not true.”

His new album further emphasizes the artist’s preoccupation with peace and understanding by singing for the first time in English and Arabic in the song “Love to the People.”

“There is an issue today with war and terrorism,” Khaled said. “So I write about ‘much love,’ versus ‘go to war’ -- for the kids of today, for the hopes of today. Rai is still opinion, that’s what the word means. So “Ya Rayi” is “my opinion.” And my opinion, about today’s life, is the hope that kids can see that you can be Jewish, you can be Muslim, you can be whatever religion you like, and you don’t have to kill people.”

Khaled added, “I know John Lennon said it years ago. But if somebody doesn’t say it now, then what?”

He continued, “I have three girls. I want to raise them. I want them to be happy and healthy. I know the word ‘freedom’ right now is hard, but I have to say it. I know that I have a responsibility as a North African. I grew up in Algeria and I saw people killed.

“Things are better now. But one can open one’s heart without closing one’s eyes. You can’t get stressed out, angry and say there’s nothing that can be done. Somebody has to have the strength to say, ‘After we have war, we have to have love.’ ”

Don Heckman can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.

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Khaled

What: Khaled and Friends is part of the Grand Performances series

Where: California Plaza, 350 S. Grand Ave., L.A.

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Price: Free

Info: (213) 687-2159