He started out as an X Factor favourite, ultimately finishing fourth during the show’s very first run in Denmark in 2008, and finally rose to prominence when he won Dansk Melodi Grand Prix with “Cliché Love Song” in 2014.
Now 25-year-old Basim is back on the scene with the release of his single “Comme Ci Comme Ça”, which draws inspiration from his Moroccan roots.
Basim’s first single since 2015, “Comme Ci Comme Ça” is a spicy mix of hip-hop, Arabic rhythms, RnB and rap. It serves a warm and smooth “Despacito” vibe, but remains something totally its own. Basim’s crisp and confident vocals add to the charm of it all.
Working both Danish and Moroccan Arabic, Basim sings about a girl he is ready to commit to. It doesn’t mater what she wants to do — it’s comme ci comme ça — and he just wants her.
https://youtu.be/3n8s5ew0ajk
To pump up the volume, Basim has called on one of Denmark’s big guns — the rapper and actor Gilli. Gilli has several hits on his resume. In fact, his hit “Rica” was the most played track in Denmark during the summer according to Spotify — beating the otherwise unbeatable “Despacito”.
Basim and Gilli make a winning team. Posting on his Facebook page, Basim shared a picture from Spotify revealing that “Comme Ci Comme Ca” is the second most-played track in Denmark right now.
“I am speechless,” he wrote in the caption. “Thank you for your love”.
Losing his mother
Today’s joy follows a difficult period for Basim, as he lost his mother Zohra to illness in December 2016 – just four years after his beloved father died of cancer.
In an interview with Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet in July, Basim said that it is tough being an orphan, but that he has found comfort in music.
“In that I feel understood, and I can sense that it is nice to do something that I am good at. But sometimes I accidentally flee into music and that means that I have pushed my grief aside, because I didn’t have the strength to process it. Then it’s easier to write a hit”.
With his latest release he’s done just that.
What do you think about Basim’s “Comme Ci Comme Ça”? Let us know in the comments box below.
(@ the subtitle for this article on the home page… friendly reminder that Moroccan isn’t a language lmao)