(headline image: Noura Mint Seymali – Photo by Bechir Malum)
Noura Mint Seymali is a nationally beloved star in Mauritania and one of its most innovative artists. She started her musical career at age 13, as a supporting vocalist to her stepmother, acclaimed artist Dimi Mint Abba.
Noura’s grandmother was one of her mentors. She taught Noura the art of playing the ardin, a nine-string harp reserved only for women. Noura’s father, distinguished composer Seymali Ould Ahmed Vall also sparked Noura’s skill as a composer.
For years, Noura and her band experimented with adapting Moorish music to various pop formations, although the band returned to actively exposing Mauritanian roots music to the world by using traditional sounds and instruments.
Her international debut album was Tzenni (2014), described as a mix of Mauritanian roots and psychedelic desert blues.
In 2016, Noura released Arbina, recorded and mixed in New York City by Tony Maimone and produced by Matthew Tinari, Noura’s drummer who also produced her international debut album Tzenni.
Arbina delved deeper into Moorish roots, reinterpreted in a contemporary context. The band featured her husband, Jeiche Ould Chighaly, on guitar, bassist Ousmane Touré and drummer Matthew Tinari.
Many of the songs on Arbina call out to the divine, asking for grace and protection.
Noura Mint Seymali won the 2025 WOMEX Artist Award, one of the highest honors in the world music field. The Artist Award celebrates outstanding artists and groups who demonstrate extraordinary mastery, creativity, and the power of music as a force for positive change.
Discography:
Tarabe (2006)
El Howl (2010)
Azawan, EP (2012)
Azawan II, EP (2013)
Tzenni (Glitterbeat Records, 2014)
Arbina (Glitterbeat Records, 2016)
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.