Songhoy Blues

Born in Bamako in 2012 around Songhai musicians from northern Mali who had been displaced by the conflict that particularly affected the Timbuktu region, Songhoy Blues formed around Garba Touré, Aliou Touré and Oumar Touré, later joined by drummer Nathanael Dembélé. The band developed a sound at the crossroads of desert blues, blues rock and afro‑rock, featuring taut guitars, danceable rhythms and songwriting that blends Sahelian heritage, rock energy and touches of funk, hip‑hop and R&B. After starting out on Bamako’s club scene, Songhoy Blues gained attention in 2013 through Africa Express with the track “Soubour”, recorded with Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This exposure accompanied the release of Music in Exile in 2015, followed by Résistance in 2017, Optimisme in 2020 and Héritage in 2025. Songhoy Blues also appears in the documentary They Will Have To Kill Us First, which focuses on Malian musicians facing the ban on music in the country’s north. Onstage, Songhoy Blues quickly moved beyond the local circuit to play international festivals while maintaining a base strongly rooted in Mali’s musical traditions.