Blick Bassy

Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon in 1974, Blick Bassy develops a body of work situated between acoustic folk, hushed soul, blues, jazz, and traditional Bassa musical traditions, the language in which he primarily sings. His career began in Cameroon with the group Macase, formed in the 1990s, which already mixes urban influences and local heritages, before two albums, Etam in 1999 and Doulou in 2003. After settling in France, Blick Bassy pursues as a solo artist a more pared-down writing, centered on the voice, strings and often discreet rhythms, with Léman in 2009 and then Hongo Calling in 2011. Akö, released in 2015, further asserts an acoustic format traversed by bossa nova, blues and colors of Central Africa, while 1958 in 2019 takes the form of a memory album about Ruben Um Nyobè and Cameroonian colonial history. Blick Bassy also evolves in cross-disciplinary formats, between music, literature and stage creation, notably the musical tale Kwem Kwem and the book Le Moabi Cinéma. Across tours, Blick Bassy has established himself on stages devoted to world music, folk and jazz, with a sober approach where intimacy, language and history occupy a central place.