Youssou N'Dour

Born in Dakar in 1959, Youssou N'Dour began singing as a teenager with the Star Band, then joined Étoile de Dakar in the late 1970s before continuing with Super Étoile de Dakar. He helped popularize mbalax, a form of Senegalese popular music that blends sabar rhythms, Senegambian vocal traditions, Wolof and Serer heritage, and influences from Cuban rumba, pop and jazz. His international career grew with The Lion (1989), Set (1990) and Eyes Open (1992), and especially with The Guide (Wommat) (1994), which includes “7 Seconds,” recorded with Neneh Cherry. Thereafter N'Dour alternated albums rooted in Dakar’s scene with more cross-disciplinary projects such as Joko: From Village to Town (2000), Egypt (2004) — informed by references to Muslim religious music — and Dakar - Kingston (2010), conceived with Jamaican musicians. His collaborations also include Peter Gabriel, Axelle Red, Paul Simon, Sting and Wyclef Jean, and his work spans Wolof, French and English.