Youssou N'Dour

Undoubtedly one of world music’s best known artists, the Senegalese producer and singer Youssou N’Dour is as much a household name in his home city of Dakar as in countries across the world. He was born in a popular quarter of the Dakar medina and followed a typical Muslim upbringing impregnated by Sufi beliefs. Despite his parent’s reticence, he became involved first in a theatre troupe and then in the Super Diamono band of Dakar. N’Dour was 13 years old. His success with this popular group convinced his father Elimane N’Dour that his son had a rare gift, and the latter even negotiated the precocious singer’s first contract.

In 1979, N’Dour and fellow-singer El Haj Faye created the Etoile de Dakar. It soon became one of the country’s most high-profile bands centring its music style on the “mbalax”, a high energy fusion of African, Caribbean and pop rhythms. In 1981, a disagreement between the two singers prompted a split and Youssou N’Dour reformed as the Super Etoile de Dakar. His natural grace, superb voice and musical acumen quickly made him the unchallenged King of Mbalax. He accompanied this high-energy brand of music with a dance he invented called “le ventilateur”, an in-your-face gyration that spread to all the Senegalese communities in the diaspora.

N’Dour made a name for himself and his unique voice in international circles at the end of the Eighties. In 1988 he was one of the artists invited on the Amnesty International Human Rights “Now!” tour. That same year, he also played for Nelson Mandela’s birthday party concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. In 2005, N’Dour won the prestigious Grammy Award in the world music category for his 2003 CD Sant Allah (Egypt).

Parallel to his singing career, the 48-year-old founded a record label based in Dakar, “Jololi”. It aims at promoting young talent from his native Senegal, and building a network of internet cafés as well as various humanitarian projects. N’Dour has created one of the country’s best recording studios; he runs the Thiossane nightclub in the Grand Dakar neighbourhood; and he is at the head of the Futurs Médias press group that owns the Observateur daily newspaper and the RFM radio station.

November 2007

Marushka & Daniel Brown

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