Yousseph "Chico" Slimani (born 1971)[1] is a British singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2005 series of the talent show The X Factor.

[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.

[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 coach Mark Hudson), the camp and iconic "It's Chico Time", named after his catchphrase (Chico: "What time is it?

He toured at Butlins,[8] performing full 45-minute sets along with a live band and dancers as part of The Chico Experience.

[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.

In 2010, Slimani recorded a single in support of the English Football Team to the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.

[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.

In 2005, he played a male stripper in Roberto Gomez Martin's Hell to Pay, a London underworld gangster film.

He took part in a Blind Date themed skit, being picked over Roger Moore and Richard E Grant by Dame Edna Everage.

He took part in another Rainbow Child Foundation project in Malawi and South Africa with the charity One Water to see the work carried out installing Play Pumps.

[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] On 7 February 2015, Slimani volunteered as one of the panel judges at the Dancing Strictly 2015 live charity show held at the ArtsDepot in North Finchley, London.