Born in the medina section of Dakar, Senegal, in 1959, Youssou N’Dour is descended from a line of famous jelis (musician storytellers, also known as griots) on his mother’s side. Jelis were and continue to be an essential part of the Senegalese oral tradition, which dates back hundreds of years before the introduction of Islam and the arrival of the French colonizers in sub-Saharan Africa.
For Youssou, music is a way of life, a way to picture what is around him, to deal with emotions and to convey a message to those who dare to listen. His style mixed the traditional and the contemporary, enabling him to reach a larger and more diverse audience.
Throughout his career, he was known for singing mainly in Wolof, the Senegalese national language. He addressed issues important to the survival of his audience such as the drought, Senegal’s economic situation, apartheid, slavery and urban and international migration by people in search of a better life. He also sang about the beauty and power of Senegalese women and the importance of culture in forming social values and principles, not forgetting his enchanting tunes about love conquered and hearts broken.
He first joined the Star Band de Dakar, in Senegal. A few years later, he left them and formed his new band, la Super Etoile de Dakar. Soon, many Senegalese were dancing to the rhythm of the Super Etoile and Youssou N’Dour’s name and talent were news.
Even more than his music, his personality and his vision captivated his fans. He set no limit on his potential. His concept of the global village pre-dated many of his contemporaries and when he started singing in French, Senegal’s official language, francophone Europe was won over. In the late 1980s, his work with Sting and Peter Gabriel introduced the English-speaking world to his phenomenal vocal range.
His involvement with the Amnesty International Tour brought him well-deserved credibility and exposure in a wider international arena. He toured the United States and Asia and signed to Virgin Records and the upcoming, young production company, Forty Acres and a Mule.
The Guide is his most successful record in global terms and in 1994, his single “7 seconds” was Europe’s Song of the Year, selling close to 2 million copies. He was subsequently nominated in the World Music section of the prestigious Grammy Awards.
His rhythms are as varied as his language. N’Dour introduced international audiences to mbalax, a Senegalese mixd of African, Caribbean and pop rhythms. His frequent releases never failed to add a new step to Senegal’s extensive repertoire of dance styles. His musicians, some of the most renowned in West Africa, play traditional instruments such as the tama (talking drum) as well as imported European ones.
In 1993, he was appointed a UNICEF Ambassador and one of the ways in which he fulfilled his role is by giving benefit concerts to help children with AIDS in Africa.
In 2009, the album ‘Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love,’ was released. It is a music-infused cinematic journey about the power of one man’s voice to inspire change. The film chronicled N’Dour, a devout Sufi Muslim, as he released a deeply personal and religious album called Egypt in the hope of promoting a more tolerant face of Islam. Almost instantly, some of his fellow Senegalese rejected the album, and denounced his actions as blasphemous. Director Chai Vasarhelyi followed N’Dour for over two years – filming in Africa, Europe, and the United States – to tell the story of how he faced these challenges and eventually won over audiences both at home and abroad.
In 2011, Youssou N’dour released Dakar-Kingston (Emarcy Records). His journey to Kingston (Jamaica) started with the music pulsing from the Dakar market stalls of his childhood. It began during long hours of listening to reggae LPs from his uncle’s record store. It continued decades later, long after N’Dour became one of the world’s best known and best loved African singers, and led him to the famous Tuff Gong studios in Jamaica, walking in Bob Marley’s footsteps and jamming with Marley’s musical friends.
“Reggae gives you more space than mbalax. You have more room to breathe,” said N’Dour. “You know the rhythm and the emotion, exactly what the song is saying to you. It’s very direct at its heart.”
Also in 2011, Youssou N’Dour received an honorary degree from Yale University. Yale President Richard Levin saluted N’Dour for having “created Africa’s leading ensemble, performed with great artists around the world, sung about tolerance, acted with conviction, all the while remaining true to (his) own faith and culture”. He also emphasized N’Dour’s understanding of the power of music to liberate, heal and unite, his extraordinary sound giving “voice to hope and our common humanity”.
To support children in Senegal, Youssou N’Dour created the Youth Network for Development, also known as the Youssou N’Dour Foundation.
Unlike other African stars who live in Europe, Youssou lives in Dakar (Senegal) and records out of his Studio Xippi so he can remain near his family.
In 2020, one of Spain’s leading world music festivals, La Mar de Músicas, gave N’Dour the 2020 La Mar de Músicas Award.
Discography:
Ndiadiane Ndiaye (MCA, 1982)
Mouride (1982)
Independance Vol. 3 (1982)
Show!!! A Abidjan (1983)
Djamil Inédits 84-85 (Celluloid, 1985)
Immigrés (Celluloid, 1985)
Nelson Mandela (Polydor, 1985)
The Lion (Virgin, 1989)
Set (Virgin, 1990)
Eyes Open (Columbia, 1992)
The Guide (Wommat) (Columbia, 1994)
Gainde – Voices from the Heart of Africa (Network Medien, 1995)
Djamil (1996) – anthology
Lii (Jololi, 1996)
St. Louis (Jololi, 1997)
Special Fin D’annee Plus (Jololi, 1999)
Rewmi (Jololi, 1999)
Joko: The Link (2000)
Le Grand Bal (Jololi, 2000)
Ba Tay (Jololi, 2001)
Le Grand Bal a Bercy (Jololi, 2001)
Nothing’s in Vain (Coono Du Réér) (Nonesuch, 2002)
Kirikou Et La Sorciere (2004)
Egypt (Nonesuch, 2004)
Live 8 at Eden – Africa Calling (Real World/Rhino R2 970505, 2005)
Alsaama Day (Global Voice, 2007)
Rokku Mi Rokka (Nonesuch, 2007)
Music from the Motion Picture “I Bring What I Love” (Nonesuch, 2008)
Special Fin D’annee: Salagne-Salagne (Xippi, 2009)
Dakar – Kingston (Universal Music France, 2010)
Mbalakh Dafay Wakh (2011)
Fatteliku (Real World Records, 2014)
Senegaal Rek (2016)
Africa Rekk (Sony Music, 2016)
Seeni Valeurs (2017)
Respect (2018)
History (Naïve Records, 2019)
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.