Youssou N'Dour
Encyclopedia
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegal
ese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone
described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa
, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax
, a type of music that trace most of its technique from the conservative Serer
music tradition of "Njuup" (the progenitor of Mbalax). He is the subject of the award-winning films Return to Goree directed by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud
and Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love
directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
, which were released theatrically around the world.
Youssou N'Dour was born in Dakar
to a Serer
father. He began performing at the age of 12. Within a couple of years he was performing regularly with the Star Band
, Dakar's most popular group in the early 1970s. Several members of the Star Band joined Orchestre Baobab
about that time.
Although N’Dour has connections to the traditional griot
caste on his mother’s side, he wasn’t raised in that tradition, learning it instead from his siblings. His parents encouraged him to look at things in a more modern manner, leaving him open to two cultures, with the result that he refers to himself as a modern griot.
In 1979, he formed his own ensemble, the Étoile de Dakar
. His early work with Étoile de Dakar was in the typical Latin style popular all over Africa during that time, but in the 1980s he developed a unique sound when he started his current group, Super Etoile de Dakar featuring Jimi Mbaye
on guitar, bassist Habib Faye
, and Tama
(talking drum) player Assane Thiam.
Youssou N'Dour is one of the most celebrated African musicians in history
. A renowned singer, songwriter, and composer, Youssou's mix of traditional Senegalese mbalax with eclectic
influences ranging from Cuba
n samba
to hip hop
, jazz, and soul has won him an international fan base of millions. In the West, Youssou has collaborated with musicians Peter Gabriel
, Axelle Red
, Sting, Alan Stivell
, Bran Van 3000
, Neneh Cherry
, Wyclef Jean
, Paul Simon
, Bruce Springsteen
, Tracy Chapman
, Branford Marsalis
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
, Dido
and others. In Senegal, Youssou is a powerful cultural icon actively involved in social issues.
He is endowed with remarkable range and poise, a composer
, bandleader
, and producer with a prodigious musical intelligence. The New York Times
described his voice as an "arresting tenor, a supple weapon deployed with prophetic authority". N'Dour absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering this through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music
from outside Senegalese culture.
In July 1993, an Africa
n opera
composed by N'Dour premiered at the Opéra Garnier for the French Festival Paris quartier d'été. He wrote and performed the official anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup
with Axelle Red
"La Cour des Grands". Youssou N'Dour was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO) on 16 October 2000.
N'Dour's major asset is that he is strongly grounded in his culture
. Even if he chooses to explore elsewhere, his roots are well established. Some have gone so far as describing him as the African Artist of the Century (Folk Roots magazine). He has toured internationally for thirty years. He won his first American Grammy Award
(best contemporary world music album
) for his CD Egypt
in 2005.
By 1991 he had opened his own recording studio, Xippi, and by 1995 his own record label, Jololi. He is also proprietor of L'Observateur, one of the largest-circulation newspapers in Senegal, and the radio station RFM (Radio Future Medias).
N'Dour has associated himself with several social and political issues. In 1985, he organized a concert for the release of Nelson Mandela
. He was a featured performer in the 1988 worldwide Amnesty International
Human Rights Now! Tour
collaborating with Lou Reed
to contribute a version of the Peter Gabriel song Biko
which was produced by Richard James Burgess
and featured on the Amnesty International benefit album The Secret Policeman's Third Ball. He has also worked with the United Nations
and UNICEF and he started Project Joko to open internet café
s in Africa and to connect Senegalese communities around the world. He performed at three of the Live 8
concerts (in Live 8 concert, London
, Live 8 concert, Paris
and at the Live 8 concert, Eden Project
in Cornwall) on 2 July 2005, with Dido
.
In 2006, N'Dour played the African-British abolitionist Olaudah Equiano
in the movie Amazing Grace
, which chronicles the efforts of William Wilberforce
to end slavery in the British Empire.
He covered John Lennon
's "Jealous Guy
" for the 2007 CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
. He also featured in a joint Spain-Senegal ad campaign against illegal immigrants.
Youssou N'Dour participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions
project in 2007.
Since 2007 he is also council member of the World Future Council
.
In 2008, Youssou N'dour offers one of his compositions : Bébé
, for the french singer Cynthia Brown
.
In 2009, he released his song "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)" under a Creative Commons license to help IntraHealth International
in their IntraHealth Open campaign to bring open source health applications to Africa. The song was remixed by a variety of artists including Nas
, Peter Buck
of R.E.M.
, and Duncan Sheik
to help raise money for the campaign.
In 2011, N'Dour was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Music from Yale University.
(2006)
Retour à Gorée (2007)
Youssou N´Dour: I Bring What I Love (2008)
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
ese singer, percussionist and occasional actor. In 2004, Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
described him as, in Senegal and much of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, "perhaps the most famous singer alive." He helped develop a style of popular music in Senegal, known in the Serer language as mbalax
Mbalax
Mbalax is the national popular dance music of Senegal and The Gambia. Mbalax is a fusion of popular Western music and dance such as jazz, soul, Latin, and rock blended with sabar, the traditional drumming and dance music of Senegal...
, a type of music that trace most of its technique from the conservative Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
music tradition of "Njuup" (the progenitor of Mbalax). He is the subject of the award-winning films Return to Goree directed by Pierre-Yves Borgeaud
Pierre-Yves Borgeaud
-Biography:Born August 25, 1963 in Monthey, Switzerland, Pierre-Yves Borgeaud has a bachelor’s degree in arts at the Lausanne University in 1990, with a thesis about the influence of jazz on French writers . He has worked as an independent journalist, writing about music and moving images in...
and Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love is a 2008 documentary film directed by filmmaker Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi that chronicles Senegalese icon Youssou N'Dour as he releases his Grammy Award-winning album Egypt and works to promote a more tolerant view of Islam. The film features musical...
directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi is an award-winning film director and producer. Her first film won Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2003...
, which were released theatrically around the world.
Life and work
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
to a Serer
Serer people
The Serer people along with the Jola people are acknowledged to be the oldest inhabitants of The Senegambia....
father. He began performing at the age of 12. Within a couple of years he was performing regularly with the Star Band
Star Band
Star Band is a music group from Senegal that were the resident band of Dakar's Miami Club.Formed to celebrate Senegal's independence in 1960 the band has been host to some influential musicians, Youssou N'Dour being the most notable, and gave birth to Etoile de Dakar...
, Dakar's most popular group in the early 1970s. Several members of the Star Band joined Orchestre Baobab
Orchestre Baobab
Orchestra Baobab is a Senegalese Afro-Cuban, Son, Wolof and Pachanga band. Organized in 1970, as a multi-ethnic, multi-national club band, Orchestre Baobab adapted the then current craze for Cuban Music in West Africa to Wolof Griot culture and the Mandinga musical traditions of the Casamance...
about that time.
Although N’Dour has connections to the traditional griot
Griot
A griot or jeli is a West African storyteller. The griot delivers history as a poet, praise singer, and wandering musician. The griot is a repository of oral tradition. As such, they are sometimes also called bards...
caste on his mother’s side, he wasn’t raised in that tradition, learning it instead from his siblings. His parents encouraged him to look at things in a more modern manner, leaving him open to two cultures, with the result that he refers to himself as a modern griot.
In 1979, he formed his own ensemble, the Étoile de Dakar
Étoile de Dakar
Étoile de Dakar were a leading music group of Senegal in the 1970s.The group was formed in 1979 by Youssou N'Dour and members of the Star Band one of Dakar's best known nightclub house bands of the 1970s...
. His early work with Étoile de Dakar was in the typical Latin style popular all over Africa during that time, but in the 1980s he developed a unique sound when he started his current group, Super Etoile de Dakar featuring Jimi Mbaye
Jimi Mbaye
Jimi Mbaye is a Senegalese guitarist best known for his work with Youssou N'dour. Mamadou 'Jimi' Mbaye has developed a unique Senegalese guitar style in which he makes his Fender Stratocaster sound like local instruments such as the kora or xalam....
on guitar, bassist Habib Faye
Habib Faye
Habib Faye is a bassist, keyboardist, composer and grammy-nominated producer from Senegal. He is mostly known as the musical director for Youssou N'dour's Super Étoile de Dakar. He is one of the most talented African bassists of the last quarter century....
, and Tama
Tama
-Religion:* Tama , part of the soul in the Japanese Shinto faith, roughly equivalent to ghost, spirit, or soul* Tama , a votive deposit or ex-voto used in the Eastern Orthodox Churches...
(talking drum) player Assane Thiam.
Youssou N'Dour is one of the most celebrated African musicians in history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
. A renowned singer, songwriter, and composer, Youssou's mix of traditional Senegalese mbalax with eclectic
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
influences ranging from Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
to hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, jazz, and soul has won him an international fan base of millions. In the West, Youssou has collaborated with musicians Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
, Axelle Red
Axelle Red
Axelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter.-Biography:She was born at Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, the daughter of Roland Demal, a solicitor in Hasselt and Councillor for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats in the City Council.Nowadays a committed artist and a militant humanist, back in 1993 Axelle...
, Sting, Alan Stivell
Alan Stivell
Alan Stivell is a Breton musician and singer, recording artist and master of the celtic harp who from the early 1970s revived global interest in the Celtic harp and Celtic music as part of world music.- Background: learning Breton music and culture :Alan was born in the Auvergnat town of Riom...
, Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000
Bran Van 3000 is an electronica collective from Manhattan, New York City, New York and Montreal, Quebec. Founded by DJ James Di Salvio and E.P...
, Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter, best known for her singles "Fast Car", "Talkin' 'bout a Revolution", "Baby Can I Hold You", "Give Me One Reason" and "Telling Stories". She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.-Biography:Tracy Chapman was born in Cleveland,...
, Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis
Branford Marsalis is an American saxophonist, composer and bandleader. While primarily known for his work in jazz as the leader of the Branford Marsalis Quartet, he also performs frequently as a soloist with classical ensembles and has led the group Buckshot LeFonque.-Biography:Marsalis was born...
, Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
, Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
and others. In Senegal, Youssou is a powerful cultural icon actively involved in social issues.
He is endowed with remarkable range and poise, a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, and producer with a prodigious musical intelligence. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described his voice as an "arresting tenor, a supple weapon deployed with prophetic authority". N'Dour absorbs the entire Senegalese musical spectrum in his work, often filtering this through the lens of genre-defying rock or pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
from outside Senegalese culture.
In July 1993, an Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composed by N'Dour premiered at the Opéra Garnier for the French Festival Paris quartier d'été. He wrote and performed the official anthem of the 1998 FIFA World Cup
1998 FIFA World Cup
The 1998 FIFA World Cup, the 16th FIFA World Cup, was held in France from 10 June to 12 July 1998. France was chosen as host nation by FIFA on 2 July 1992. The tournament was won by France, who beat Brazil 3-0 in the final...
with Axelle Red
Axelle Red
Axelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter.-Biography:She was born at Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, the daughter of Roland Demal, a solicitor in Hasselt and Councillor for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats in the City Council.Nowadays a committed artist and a militant humanist, back in 1993 Axelle...
"La Cour des Grands". Youssou N'Dour was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations (FAO) on 16 October 2000.
N'Dour's major asset is that he is strongly grounded in his culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
. Even if he chooses to explore elsewhere, his roots are well established. Some have gone so far as describing him as the African Artist of the Century (Folk Roots magazine). He has toured internationally for thirty years. He won his first American Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
(best contemporary world music album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums...
) for his CD Egypt
Egypt (album)
Egypt is a Grammy Award-winning album by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour, on which he is accompanied by the Egyptian Fathy Salama Orchestra. In the original Senegalese release, it was named Sant Allah ....
in 2005.
By 1991 he had opened his own recording studio, Xippi, and by 1995 his own record label, Jololi. He is also proprietor of L'Observateur, one of the largest-circulation newspapers in Senegal, and the radio station RFM (Radio Future Medias).
N'Dour has associated himself with several social and political issues. In 1985, he organized a concert for the release of Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
. He was a featured performer in the 1988 worldwide Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
Human Rights Now! Tour
Human Rights Now! Tour
Human Rights Now! was a worldwide tour of twenty benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place over six weeks in 1988. Held not to raise funds but to increase awareness of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on its 40th anniversary and the work of Amnesty...
collaborating with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
to contribute a version of the Peter Gabriel song Biko
Biko (song)
"Biko" is a protest song by British rock musician Peter Gabriel. The song was included on Gabriel's third album, Peter Gabriel . It is about Steve Biko, a noted black South African anti-apartheid activist. Biko had been arrested by the South African police in late August 1977...
which was produced by Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess
Richard James Burgess is a studio drummer, music-computer programmer, recording artist, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor. He was the producer for Spandau Ballet's first two albums.-Education:...
and featured on the Amnesty International benefit album The Secret Policeman's Third Ball. He has also worked with the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and UNICEF and he started Project Joko to open internet café
Internet cafe
An Internet café or cybercafé is a place which provides internet access to the public, usually for a fee. These businesses usually provide snacks and drinks, hence the café in the name...
s in Africa and to connect Senegalese communities around the world. He performed at three of the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
concerts (in Live 8 concert, London
Live 8 concert, London
The main Live 8 concert was held at Hyde Park, London, England on 2 July 2005, in front of over 200,000 people. The show's logistics were managed by famed promoter Harvey Goldsmith.The event is also referred to as "Live 8 London" or "Live 8 UK"....
, Live 8 concert, Paris
Live 8 concert, Paris
On 2 July 2005, a Live 8 concert was held at the Palais de Versailles, Paris, France.The event is also referred to as "Live 8 Paris" or "Live 8 France"...
and at the Live 8 concert, Eden Project
Live 8 concert, Eden Project
On July 2, 2005, a Live 8 concert was held at the Eden Project, Cornwall, England. The event was dubbed "Africa Calling", but was also known as "LIVE 8: Africa Calling" or "Africa Calling: LIVE 8 at the Eden Project"....
in Cornwall) on 2 July 2005, with Dido
Dido (singer)
Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle O'Malley Armstrong , known as Dido, is an English singer-songwriter.Dido shot to worldwide success with her debut album, No Angel...
.
In 2006, N'Dour played the African-British abolitionist Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano
Olaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African involved in the British movement towards the abolition of the slave trade. His autobiography depicted the horrors of slavery and helped influence British lawmakers to abolish the slave trade through the Slave Trade Act of 1807...
in the movie Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace (2006 film)
Amazing Grace is a 2006 U.S.–UK co-production film, directed by Michael Apted, about the campaign against slave trade in the British Empire, led by William Wilberforce, who was responsible for steering anti-slave trade legislation through the British parliament. The title is a reference to the hymn...
, which chronicles the efforts of William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
to end slavery in the British Empire.
He covered John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
's "Jealous Guy
Jealous Guy
"Jealous Guy" is a song written and performed by John Lennon which first appeared on his 1971 album Imagine. It is one of the most commonly covered Lennon songs, with at least ninety-two recorded cover versions, the most notable being Roxy Music's version, which reached number one in several...
" for the 2007 CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur
Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur is a compilation album of various artists covering songs of John Lennon to benefit Amnesty International's campaign to alleviate the crisis in Darfur...
. He also featured in a joint Spain-Senegal ad campaign against illegal immigrants.
Youssou N'Dour participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions
Stock Exchange of Visions
The Stock Exchange of Visions is a project initiated in 2006 by Fabrica, Benetton's research center. It gathers visionaries from diverse nationalities and cultures, who hail from a wide range of specialties, to provide insight into their vision for the future....
project in 2007.
Since 2007 he is also council member of the World Future Council
World Future Council
The World Future Council is an independent body formally founded in Hamburg, Germany on 10 May 2007. "Formed to speak on behalf of policy solutions that serve the interests of future generations", it includes members active in governmental bodies, civil society, business, science and the arts...
.
In 2008, Youssou N'dour offers one of his compositions : Bébé
Bébé (song)
Bébé is a song written by famous Senegalese international singer Youssou N'Dour and composed by Ibrahima N'Dour. This song appears in "Hétéroclite", a record of french singer Cynthia Brown. The music video was shot by french filmmaker Jérémie Carboni.-External links:* .* ....
, for the french singer Cynthia Brown
Cynthia Brown (singer)
Cynthia Brown is a french singer with indian origins, who participated in the French reality television show Star Academy France on TF1 including in the semi-final.- Biography :...
.
In 2009, he released his song "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)" under a Creative Commons license to help IntraHealth International
IntraHealth International
IntraHealth International is a non-profit organization based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, U.S.A. dedicated to working with developing countries to improve their public health capabilities. Originally established as a program of the medical school of the University of North Carolina at Chapel...
in their IntraHealth Open campaign to bring open source health applications to Africa. The song was remixed by a variety of artists including Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, Peter Buck
Peter Buck
Peter Lawrence Buck , is an American rock guitarist who is best known for playing in and co-founding alternative rock band R.E.M....
of R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
, and Duncan Sheik
Duncan Sheik
Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...
to help raise money for the campaign.
In 2011, N'Dour was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in Music from Yale University.
Albums
- Bitim Rew (1984)
- Nelson Mandela (1986)
- ImmigrésImmigrésImmigrés is a 1984 album by Senegalese singer and percussionist Youssou N'Dour. All Music remarks that the album is "a good part of what put [N'Dour] on the international map".-Critical reception:...
(1988) - The Lion (1989)
- Set (1990)
- Eyes Open (1992)
- The Guide (Wommat) (1994)
- Djamil (1996)
- Inedits 84-85 (1997)
- Special Fin D'annee Plus (1999)
- Lii (2000)
- Joko: From Village To Town (2000)
- Joko: The Link (2000)
- Rewmi (2000)
- Le Grand Bal (2000)
- St. Louis (2000)
- Le Grand Bal a Bercy (2001)
- Ba Tay (2002)
- Nothing's In Vain (2002)
- Youssou N'Dour and His Friends (2002)
- Kirikou (2004)
- EgyptEgypt (album)Egypt is a Grammy Award-winning album by Senegalese musician Youssou N'Dour, on which he is accompanied by the Egyptian Fathy Salama Orchestra. In the original Senegalese release, it was named Sant Allah ....
(2004) - Alsaama Day (2007)
- Rokku Mi Rokka (2007) — #30 in Rolling StoneRolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
's Top 50 Albums of 2007. - Special Fin D'annee : Salegne-Salegne (2009)
- Dakar - Kingston (2010)
- Mbalakh Dafay Wakh (2011)
Compilation albums
- The Best of Youssou N'Dour (1995)
- Euleek Sibir with Omar (You et Pene) (1996)
- Immigrés/Bitim Rew (1997)
- Best of the 80's (1998)
- Hey You: The Essential Collection 1988–1990 (1998)
- Birth of a Star (2001)
- Rough Guide to Youssou N'Dour & Etoile de Dakar (2002)
- 7 Seconds: The Best of Youssou N'Dour (Remastered) (2004)
- Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur — John Lennon's "Jealous Guy" (2007)
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |||||||
| US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Modern Rock |
US Mainstream Rock |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
European Singles |
France Singles |
German Singles |
Swedish Singles |
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| 1989 | "Shakin' the Tree" (with Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career... ) |
- | #9 | - | #61 | - | - | - | - | The Lion |
| 1990 | "Shakin' the Tree" (re-release) | - | - | - | #57 | - | - | - | - | The Lion |
| 1994 | "7 Seconds 7 Seconds (song) "7 Seconds" is a song composed by Youssou N'Dour, Neneh Cherry, Cameron McVey and Jonathan Sharp. Released as a single by Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry, the song was a huge international hit in 1994. It remained on the charts for nearly half a year and reached the top three in many countries,... " |
#98 | - | - | #3 | #8 | #1 | #3 | #3 | The Guide (Wommat) duet with Neneh Cherry Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster... |
| 1995 | "Undecided" | - | - | - | #53 | - | - | - | - | The Guide (Wommat) |
| 1998 | "How Come" (re-release) | - | - | - | #52 | - | - | - | - | Youssou N'Dour and Canibus Canibus Germaine Williams , better known by his stage name Canibus, is a Jamaican-born American rapper. He is a part of supergroup The HRSMN. Canibus rose to fame in the mid-nineties... |
| 2002 | "So Many Men" (feat. Joy Denalane Joy Denalane Joy Maureen Denalane , known as Joy Denalane, is a German singer-songwriter, known for her mixture of soul, R&B, and African folk music with lyrics in German and English.-Early life:... ) |
- | - | - | - | - | # 35 | - | - | Nothing's in Vain (Coono du reer). Duet with Pascal Obispo Pascal Obispo Pascal Michel Obispo is a French singer/songwriter.Pascal Obispo started singing in 1980. He got his first record deal in 1990, Le long du fleuve. With his second album, Plus que tout au monde, selling over 2 million albums, his songs became a popular success... . |
Films
Amazing GraceAmazing Grace (2006 film)
Amazing Grace is a 2006 U.S.–UK co-production film, directed by Michael Apted, about the campaign against slave trade in the British Empire, led by William Wilberforce, who was responsible for steering anti-slave trade legislation through the British parliament. The title is a reference to the hymn...
(2006)
- As Olaudah EquianoOlaudah EquianoOlaudah Equiano also known as Gustavus Vassa, was a prominent African involved in the British movement towards the abolition of the slave trade. His autobiography depicted the horrors of slavery and helped influence British lawmakers to abolish the slave trade through the Slave Trade Act of 1807...
. "A central figure in the abolitionist movement in Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Olaudah Equiano (c.1745–97) wrote an eyewitnessWitnessA witness is someone who has firsthand knowledge about an event, or in the criminal justice systems usually a crime, through his or her senses and can help certify important considerations about the crime or event. A witness who has seen the event first hand is known as an eyewitness...
account of his life as a slave and of his work in the anti-slavery movement: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah EquianoThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah EquianoThe Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, first published in 1789, is the autobiography of Olaudah Equiano.-Plot introduction:...
." - As a musicianMusicianA musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
on the film's soundtrackSoundtrackA soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
.
Retour à Gorée (2007)
- As himself, journeying from the island of Gorée to the USA and back, exploring the origins of jazz, which go back to the era of slave trade in Africa, through a concert performed by an international group of artists.
Youssou N´Dour: I Bring What I Love (2008)
- As himself, through the recording of Egypt album and its repercussions.
- Released in the US on DVD by Oscilloscope Laboratories.
External links
- Afropop Worldwide Interview with Youssou N'Dour, May 2004
- “Youssou N'Dour” World Music Legends
- “Senegal Superstar Wins Grammy for 'Egypt' ,” World Beat Planet, 16 Feb. 2005
- “Youssou N'Dour,” African Music Encyclopedia, 1998
- “Youssou N'Dour” AfroWeb
- “Youssou N'Dour, 'Egypt' and Islam,” National Public Radio
- "Youssou N'Dour: I bring what I love" at IMDb
- N'Dour's role in the film Amazing Grace
- Stock Exchange Of Visions: Visions of Youssou N'Dour (Video Interviews)
- IntraHealth Open featuring N'Dour's "Wake Up (It's Africa Calling)"
- Ferloo