Youssou N’Dour

From an early age, Youssou N’Dour preferred music over studying and so his father, resigned to this, enrolled him at the Institute of Arts in Dakar. In 1979, with his band Étoile de Dakar (Star of Dakar), Youssou N’Dour launched a new dance (the “ventilator”) which became all the rage in the clubs of the Senegalese capital and he became, from that moment, the new and unrivalled ambassador of Senegalese music.
At the age of 24, Youssou set out to conquer Europe. In Paris, he performed the opening act for Jacques Higelin at the music festival « Printemps de Bourges » and in Bercy, then in 1987, he did the same for Peter Gabriel at Madison Square Garden in New York. The following year, he took part in the world tour of Amnesty international Human Rights Now. By continuing to rub shoulders with all these stars of international fame, in particular Sting, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and Tracy Chapman, the young artist from Dakar joined the key players and became, after this adventure, a global star.
His international hit “7 Seconds” established his worldwide reputation. In November 2021, he released “Mbalax” produced during the Covid-19 period. Youssou N’Dour confides that these two years of Covid-19 pandemic enabled him to take a necessary step back in order to reflect upon the world. It is a deep and rich album, personal but also universal. It is a call to peace, love, tolerance and going beyond.