Youssou N'Dour

As a young child N’Dour was taught how to sing by his mother, and throughout his teens began performing publicly. At age 19 the singer joined the Star Band, one of Senegal’s most popular bands at the time, which, two years later, with N'Dour as leader, underwent a name change to Super E’tolle de Dakar. With a mix of influences, N’Dour helped pioneer the genre mbalax, combining the uptempo rhythms of African, Caribbean, and pop. Known for his four- or five-octave vocals the singer made his European debut in 1984, and American debut in 1985.

It wasn’t long before the talented singer earned the attention of revered artists, including Paul Simon who invited N’Dour to sing on his “Graceland” album. He later performed alongside Peter Gabriel, Bruce Springsteen, Sting on the Amnesty International Human Rights Now! tour in 1988, and toured with Peter Gabriel. Despite this popularity N’Dour was yet to release an internationally distributed album, however, “The Lion” arrived in 1989, featuring the single “Shaking the Tree” co-written by Peter Gabriel.

The singer and percussionist subsequently signed with Spike Lee’s 40 Acres & Mule label and earned a Grammy nomination for his 1991 album “Eyes Open”. After producing an African opera for the Paris Opera in 1993, N’Dour released his 1994 album “The Guide” featuring the popular duet with Neneh Cherry “Seven Seconds”.

N’Dour's popularity and critical success continued into the new millennium, aided by a number of greatest hits compilations and the albums “Nothing’s In Vain” in 2002, the Grammy winning “Egypt” in 2004, “Rokku Mi Rokka” in 2007, “I Bring What I Love” in 2010, and “Fatteliku” in 2014. In 2012 N’Dour was appointed as the minister of tourism and culture in Senegal by Prime Minister Abdoul Mbaye, and remains one of the most international renowned and celebrated Senegalese musicians in history.