Kaïssa greets me warmly at the door of her New York City apartment. She is a tall, thin, striking beauty with dark penetrating eyes. Born…
Kaïssa’s Joy
Tag: Afropop
The Idiosyncratic Vocals of Moken
Moken – Missing Chapters (Moodswing Records, 2019) Cameroonian singer-songwriter Moken delivers a genre-defying album where virtuosic jazz meets Afro-roots, American folk, lively Afropop and blues.…
Catchy Songs and Tributes from Youssou N’Dour
Youssou N’Dour – History (Naïve Records, 2019) African music star Youssou N’Dour returns with an ear friendly Afropop album titled History. N’Dour combines pop hooks,…
Artist Profiles: Osibisa
Osibisa exploded onto the music world in 1971 with a pulsating and vibrant sound. Translated from Ghanaian, Osibisa means “criss-cross rhythms that explode with happiness”.…
The Colors of Africa
Pierre Akendengue – La Couleur de l’Afrique (Lusafrica, 2018) Pierre Akendengue, one of the most iconic singer-songwriters of Gabon, released La Couleur de l’Afrique last…
Rocky Dawuni’s Reggae for Positive change
On Beats of Zion, African reggae star Rocky Dawuni continues to demonstrate he’s one of the most exciting artists coming out of Africa. His style…
Artist Profiles: Buika
Buika (pronounced BWEE-kah) was born Concha Buika on the Spanish island of Mallorca, to parents who arrived to Spain as political exiles from Equatorial Guinea.…
Artist Profiles: Malian Singer-Songwriter Rokia Traore
Rokia Traore was born in 1974 and comes from Bamako. Though-steeped in tradition, Rokia Traore’s music is thoroughly integrated into a contemporary sound, thanks to…
Artist Profiles: Salif Keita
A master of West African rhythms and credited as one of the founders of the Afropop genre, Salif Keita is world renowned for his unforgettable…
Artist Profiles: Amadou & Mariam
During the 1960s, in Bamako, Mali, a young girl of six used to appear at local festivals by popular demand. On the other side of…