Ismaël Lô was born on August 30, 1956 in Dogondoutchi, Niger to a Senegalese father and a Nigerien mother. The family returned to Senegal and Lo grew up near Dakar.
Ismael “Iso” Lô revolutionized the traditional sound of Senegalese m’balax, melding it with a very melodic, laid-back style bordering on folk and rhythm and blues. After achieving early local fame, Lô joined Super Diamono, the legendary group from Dakar as a full-time member.
In 1984, Ismael quit the group to branch out on his own in a hugely successful solo career. The secret of his success was his innovative fusion of M’balax with folk and soul influences and his ability to write highly original songs which frequently tackled political and social issues. In the M’balax star traveled to France to record his sixth solo album which skyrocketed to success on the European charts, largely thanks to the phenomenal success of the single “Tajabone”.
Lô then triumphed at Radio France Internationale’s “Decouvertes” music contest, earning the coveted RFI Sacem trophy. Ismael’s 1994 album, Iso was released on the Mango Island label and featured the two distinct musical styles which run throughout the Senegalese star’s work, namely soft guitar melodies (as featured in the track “Dibi dibi rek”), and traditional Senegalese m’balax, which helped establish him alongside Youssou N’dour as one as the most popular Senegalese stars on the European music scene.
1996 saw the release of a special Ismael Lo greatest hits compilation titled Jammu Africa which contained a surprise duet, “Without Blame”, which Ismael Lo recorded with the famous English singer Marianne Faithful. By the end of 1996 Ismael Lo had become such a well-known figure on the French music scene that he was invited to support Jane Birkin at the legendary Paris music hall L’Olympia.
After releasing the album Dabah in 2001 Ismael was back in the forefront, and he hit the road again in 2004, embarking upon a mammoth tour in late April to no less than fifteen countries across south Africa, east Africa and the Pacific Ocean region including Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Mauritius and Uganda. Don’t miss his first New York show in nearly a decade.
Discography:
Gor Sayina (Syllart Record, 1981)
Xalat (1984)
Xiif (Syllart Records, 1985)
Natt (Syllart Records, 1987)
Diawar (Syllart Records, 1989)
Wadiour (1990)
Ismael Lo (Barclay, 1991)
Iso (Island Records/Mango, 1994)
Jammu Africa, compilation (Mercury/Universal Music, 1996)
Baol Baol (Ilopro, 1999)
Dabah (Mercury/Universal Music, 2001)
Sénégal (AZ/Universal Music, 2006)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.