Noura Mint Seymali

Born in 1979 in Mauritania, Noura Mint Seymali belongs to a lineage of griots and grew up in direct contact with the country's sung repertoires, between family transmission and the practice of ceremonies. Trained in singing and the ardine, the Mauritanian harp traditionally played by women, she first accompanied her mother-in-law Dimi Mint Abba before developing her own project with musician Jeiche Ould Chighaly, her longtime partner. Together they evolve the forms of Mauritanian music by integrating elements of rock, Saharan blues, funk, and psychedelia, without breaking with the modes, vocal inflections, and structures inherited from the griot and Moorish traditions. Noura Mint Seymali's music rests on expansive chants, winding melodic lines, and a guitar style that dialogues with the classical forms of the tidinit. After Tarabe in 2006 and El Howl in 2010, followed by the EPs Azawan in 2012 and Azawan II in 2013, Noura Mint Seymali reached a broader audience with Tzenni in 2014, followed by Arbina in 2016 and Yenbett in 2025. Present on stages of international festivals such as WOMAD, SXSW or Le Guess Who?, Noura Mint Seymali has also collaborated with Africa Express and Tinariwen.