The Face of Senegalese Music

Most popularly known for his hit song “Seven Seconds”, a song he made with Neneh Cherry which is considered a timeless classic the world around, Yousou N’Dour is a popular Senegalese musician who’s arguably one of the most popular African singers to ever live. To add to his talents and capabilities, he’s also a singer, percussionist, songwriter, composer, occasional actor, businessman and a politician (currently the Minister of Tourism and Culture in Senegal). N’Dour helped to develop a style of popular Senegalese music known in the Serer language as mbalax and has gained millions of fans worldwide by fusing musical styles like jazz and hip-hop to his music. He’s collaborated with music greats like Sting, Wyclef Jean, Peter Gabriel,Tracy Chapman, Bruce Springsteen and many more. Like most great artists he earned himself a Grammy  Award for Best Contemporary World Album for his 2004 album titled Egypt, he has released over 30 albums to date. Take a look at the classic video for “Seven Seconds” below: