It’s Africa calling
Interview | Lara Ellsworth-Jones Portrait | Neal Preston He became an international star after singing with Neneh Cherry and Dido, but there is much more to the man who is arguably Africa’s greatest musical artist TIME MAGAZINE LISTED him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Roots magazine described him as [...]
Interview | Lara Ellsworth-Jones Portrait | Neal Preston
He became an international star after singing with Neneh Cherry and Dido, but
there is much more to the man who is arguably Africa’s greatest musical artist
TIME MAGAZINE LISTED him as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, Roots magazine described him as the “African artist of the century” and he’s often compared to the late reggae megastar Bob Marley – meet Youssou N’Dour, the Senegalese singer who you might know best for the 1994 hit that made him a star, Seven Seconds, which he recorded as a duet with Neneh Cherry.
And now, some 13 years later, N’Dour has reunited with Swedish-born Cherry for the first single from his latest album, Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take). But this time, a Seven Seconds it is not. “Last time I jumped into Neneh’s
style,” he says. “This time Neneh jumped into my style.”
The single, Wake Up (It’s Africa Calling) is, N’Dour explains, “a message from Africans to the rest of the world. It is saying Africa is not only about poverty, war, Aids and malaria – it’s also about happiness. Now Africa wants to move forward and it has a lot of potential.”
While Seven Seconds was an indisputable international hit, most N’Dour fans would agree that it is not necessarily the best of what the singer has to offer. Does he get fed up with the constant referral to a song that was a hit 13 years ago? As with all my questions, the softly spoken singer pauses to consider before he answers, but clearly N’Dour is well aware of the positive. “I consider Seven Seconds a big door for the rest of my music,” he says, before adding, “and maybe more for the rest of African music.”
Youssou N’Dour may be one of Africa’s rare international stars, but he comes with nothing more than his talent. There’s
no entourage, no ego and no screaming fans – just a modest, understated man promoting his latest musical offering. It’s a mode of operation that has worked well for N’Dour, both in the music world and in his role as a UNICEF Good Will Ambassador, which saw him establish the Foundation Youssou N’Dour to help children in Senegal, and the United Nations Youssou N’Dour Fund to help fight malaria.
But, international though he may be, N’Dour has remained loyal to home. On his earlier albums he explored Mbalax, the popular music of Senegal he has helped to shape, and he has also invested in the local music scene.
“When I get this level of commercial success, it lets me carry out a lot of investment in my country,” he says. “I have started my own studio, a club, a label and a radio station. I created all these things and it is these things that help to develop the music business in my country. It’s important.”
His last album of new material, Grammy-winning Egypt, saw N’Dour spending time in Cairo to delve deeper into the Egyptian and Islamic Sufitradition. But for the new Rokku Mi Rokka album, it was back home to Senegal – or more specifically to the north, where the country
borders on Mali and Mauritania.
“This area is musically something really special,” he says. “It is not the popular music of Senegal – Mbalax. Up in the north they have their own special sound which is not yet popular in the rest of the country.”
The meaning behind the album’s title (which translates as “give and take”) reflects a wider theme. “It is the way Africa gives,” he says. “All this music coming from outside of Africa – Cuban music, reggae, soul, blues – it’s something we gave a long time ago. When the slaves left Africa, they left also with music. But we are taking it back in a different way, now it is coming from different places.” It was these music styles in particular (blues, reggae and soul) that N’Dour found in the north of Senegal and put together with his distinctive voice to make for an eclectic and powerful album.
Born in the capital city of Dakar in October 1959, N’Dour was one of 10 children. Music was a prevalent force in his childhood. “My grandmother and my mum are griots [best described as a musician, praise singer and storyteller] and I grew up with that around me. They were not directly teaching me but it was a big influence.”
At age 14, N’Dour hit the big time by joining the Star Band – the best-known Senegalese band of the time. “I found success really quickly,” he says. “We did a recording, it was successful and we went to the national radio. It was a really crazy experience for me.”
N’Dour’s burgeoning success led to him forging a successful working relationship with world music aficionado Peter Gabriel after the hit UK artist heard him sing in the early 1980s. “I was playing in London and he came to my concert and said, ‘I love your voice and the way you are
singing,’” N’Dour recalls. With Gabriel’s support – this being the man behind the music festival Womad (World of Music Arts and Dance) – N’Dour was launched onto the world stage. He also collaborated with Gabriel on the hit singles In Your Eyes (1987) and Biko (1988), as well as with Paul Simon on his acclaimed 1986 Graceland album. In 1999 N’Dour experienced what he regards as a career highlight – singing
with his idol, Stevie Wonder at a concert in New York.
However, one of his biggest challenges lay in actually convincing his parents that becoming a musician was the right career for him. “I had to explain that it is my passion. And my father – especially my father because he has no link with music – was difficult to convince. Finally I got his approval which was important. My music needs the support of my family to feel right for me.”
These days, N’Dour has a family of his own in Senegal: seven children, aged from six months to 21 years.
Despite all the time he has to spend touring, if you suggest that N’Dour might be tempted to live elsewhere, however, he’ll soon put you right. “When I am travelling, I am in Dakar three months a year,” he admits. “Otherwise it’s six. But I would never leave. It is a beautiful country.
And the culture and the food are amazing. In Senegal our typical food is spicy – things like fish and rice. But it is a good combination, because during the day it is local food and during the night it is more French. In the past few years Senegal has changed a lot. It is starting to realise how to develop and move forward so there are a lot of things happening, especially in Dakar.”
It’s little surprise then that N’Dour tries to make the most of being at home. “When I go home, I stay at home,” he says. “On the weekends I play at my club, Thiossane. Otherwise I just stay with my family.”
It’s not just about enjoying quality time, though. N’Dour’s celebrity status in Senegal means that it’s difficult for him to walk the streets in peace. Once a few years ago a fan walked 900km from a town in Mali to Dakar just to meet his idol. How did N’Dour respond? “I am surprised when I see things like that. What can I say? ‘Don’t do that. It’s not good, it’s too far?’ I can only say ‘thank you’.”
Rokku Mi Rokka (Give and Take) by Youssou N’Dour
is out now on Nonesuch Records
