Throughout his decades long career, Youssou NDOUR’s roots in Senegalese traditional music and griot storytelling have remained the hallmark of his artistic personality. A daring innovator and staunch protector of the unique “Dakar overgroove”, NDOUR and his high-energy Super Étoile manage to fashion a sound which is both characteristically Senegalese and outward-looking, a contagiously exciting synthesis of musical languages. Rolling Stone called NDOUR’s stunning tenor “a voice so extraordinary that the history of Africa seems locked inside it,” and the Super Étoile has been lauded in The Village Voice as “the greatest band in the world.”
HI-RES IMAGES
^ Photo Credit: Youri Lenquette
VIDEO
Youssou NDOUR at Bataclan (clip) (Embed/Download)
Youssou NDOUR at Sing Jazz Festival 2017 (Embed/Download)
“MBEUGUEL IS ALL” (Embed/Download)
“LOVE IS ALL” ft Toumani Diabaté (Embed/Download)
“SENEGALL REKK” (Embed/Download)
“Be Careful” (Embed/Download)
BIOGRAPHY/PROGRAM NOTES
Biography/Program Notes: Download (doc)
CURRENT RELEASE
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Youssou NDOUR Returns to Carnegie Hall
From Broadway World Youssou NDOUR Returns to Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 20 By: BWW News Desk Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and activist Youssou NDOUR makes his eagerly anticipated return to Carnegie Hall on Saturday, October 20 at 8:00 p.m. In his first headlining appearance at the Hall since his Carnegie Hall Perspectives series over a decade ago, the Senegalese superstar’s...
Posted Sep 26th, 2018
Youssou NDOUR - The King of African Pop
From Financial Times Youssou N’Dour, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, London — the king of African pop By: Sam Taylor “It’s gonna be hot,” Le Super Étoile de Dakar drummer Babacar Faye warned before the show began. “We are here with the king of African pop.” N’Dour, the band’s leader, earned his crown pioneering mbalax, a fusion of Latin rhythms...
Posted Sep 4th, 2018
Interview De Youssou NDOUR
From Région Normandie NORMANDIE POUR LA PAIX : INTERVIEW DE YOUSSOU NDOUR « NOTRE MODÈLE, C’EST MANDELA » By: JF H, Thierry D. and Christophe M. Vous êtes la tête d’affiche du concert événement qui clôturera le Forum mondial Normandie pour la paix. Pourquoi avoir accepté cette invitation? Je suis très heureux de venir le 8 juin en Normandie saluer...
Posted Jun 7th, 2018
Youssou N'Dour Sings Songs of Hope
From Japan Forward African Vibe: Youssou N’Dour Sings Songs of Hope at Præmium Imperiale International Arts Awards Reception The awards ceremony for the so-called “Nobel Prize of Arts”—the 29th Præmium Imperiale International Arts Award in honor of Prince Takamatsu—was held on Wednesday, October 18th, at the Meiji Kinenkan (Moto-Akasaka, Tokyo), in the presence of His Imperial Highness Prince Hitachi. This...
Posted Oct 20th, 2017
Youssou wins prestigious 'Praemium Imperiale' Award in Music
From Praemium Imperiale 2017 Laureates – Praemium Imperiale Awards “The Praemium Imperiale is a global arts prize awarded annually by the Japan Art Association. Since its inauguration in 1988, it has become a mark of the arts. Six nomination committees, each chaired by an International Advisor, propose candidates in five fields: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, Music and Theatre/Film.” Youssou has won...
Posted Sep 14th, 2017
Youssou N’DOUR Splashes Color and Righteous Conscience
From Los Angeles Sentinel Youssou N’DOUR Splashes Color and Righteous Conscience ‘Cross the Night at the John Anson Ford Amphitheater By: A. Scott Galloway International superstar Youssou N’DOUR and his sprawling ensemble of musicians and singers (plus one sensational local dancer) delivered the pulsating heart and soul of Senegal, West Africa to the recently renovated John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, nestled...
Posted Aug 14th, 2017
Announcing Youssou N'Dour and Super Etoile North American Tour!
From Nonesuch Youssou N’Dour Tours North America Senegalese superstar Youssou N’Dour kicks off a rare, two-week tour of North America, starting at Terminal 5 in New York City this Sunday night. The tour then heads west for shows in Boulder, Mesa, Los Angeles, Berkeley, Seattle, and Vancouver, before returning east for stops in Montreal, Toronto, Ann Arbor, and Columbus. See...
Posted Oct 30th, 2015
Youssou NDour rocks BAM's Nonesuch celebration!
From The New York Times Commanding the Stage With Words and Dancing Feet By Jon Pareles Ushers at the Brooklyn Academy of Music fought a brief, losing battle against concertgoers surging into the aisle to dance when the Senegalese singer and bandleader Youssou N’Dour performed there on Friday night. All the better: Mr. N’Dour — a superstar across Africa and...
Posted Sep 15th, 2014
Youssou N'Dour: Flag-Bearer for Peace in Central Africa
From L’Agence France-Presse N’Dour ready to be flag-bearer for peace in Central Africa Dakar (AFP) – Senegalese music icon Youssou N’Dour has told AFP he is ready to travel to the Central African Republic to spread his message of peace amid inter-religious violence which has torn the country apart. Speaking late Sunday at the recording of a single dedicated to...
Posted Jan 27th, 2014
Senegal's Youssou N'Dour Returns to Stage
From L’Agence France-Presse Senegal’s Youssou N’Dour Returns to Stage Renowned Senegal singer Youssou N’Dour is set to return to the stage for a comeback, his entourage said Friday, a month after a government reshuffle saw the icon lose his ministerial post. The award-winning musician, known for his eclectic style, will perform a concert in Paris on October 12 which will...
Posted Oct 9th, 2013
Youssou N'Dour to Receive 2013 Polar Music Prize in Stockholm
From Nonesuch Youssou N’Dour to Receive 2013 Polar Music Prize in Stockholm Concert Hall Ceremony Youssou N’Dour is set to receive the 2013 Polar Music Prize in a gala ceremony that will take place at the Stockholm Concert Hall tonight. N’Dour, who released five albums on Nonesuch Records over the span of a decade, will be presented the prize by...
Posted Aug 27th, 2013
Youssou N'Dour Awarded Sweden's Prestigious Polar Music Prize
from Access Hollywood N’Dour, Saariaho Share Sweden’s Polar Music Prize STOCKHOLM (AP) — Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour and Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho have been awarded the international 2013 Polar Music Prize, Sweden’s most prestigious award for musicians. They will each receive 1 million kronor ($153,300) and an invitation to the prize ceremony in Stockholm Aug. 27. In its awarding citation...
Posted May 10th, 2013
Youssou Ndour Named Senegal’s Cultural Minister
from boston.com Youssou Ndour named Senegal’s cultural minister Senegalese state television reports that world music icon Youssou Ndour has been named the West African country’s minister for culture and tourism. The announcement of President Macky Sall’s new government was made late Wednesday, two days after his inauguration ceremony. Earlier this year, Ndour himself launched a failed bid for the presidency...
Posted Apr 5th, 2012
Youssou N'Dour to enter politics
from guardian.co.uk Youssou N’Dour to enter politics By:Monica Mark He is the son of a car mechanic who began by hustling pirated CDs in car parks and went on to become one of the most influential recording artists in the world. Now Youssou N’Dour is putting his music career on hold so he can enter politics ahead of presidential elections...
Posted Nov 29th, 2011
Dakar-Kingston
Youssou N’Dour and his reggae thing After countless forays into the western world, Youssou N’Dour chose Dakar as a base from which to lead his geopolitical campaign in music. His strategy is pan-African: “What all of us Africans share is much more important than what we don’t share,” says this elegant, fifty-year old youngster, who grew up in the Medina...
Posted Jun 7th, 2011
Youssou N'Dour Receives Honorary Doctorate from Yale University
From Africa Review Senegal’s Youssou N’dour honoured in America By: Tamba Jean-Matthew America’s elite Yale University has conferred an honorary doctorate degree on Senegal’s leading musician, Youssou N’dour. N’dour was among ten world personalities whom Yale awarded honorary degrees last week for varied achievements. To read more, click here
Posted May 23rd, 2011
Youssou N'Dour Wins Antonio Carlos Jobim Award
From The Montreal Gazette Montreal International Jazz Festival announces 2011 prize nominees By: Bernard Perusse Youssou N’Dour, who plays the Metropolis June 27, will be presented with the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award for world music artists. The Senegalese singer is in brilliant company: Richard Bona, Toots & the Maytals, Salif Keita and Ibrahim Ferrer have also received the prize. To...
Posted May 4th, 2011
Vote for Youssou N'Dour and Gilberto Gil in CNN's Global Music Icons Poll
from Songlines Songlines collaborates with CNN in search for top five global music icons Songlines is delighted to have collaborated with US broadcaster CNN on their official hunt for your top five music icons. CNN’s new arts programme, icon, worked in conjunction with Songlines to select 20 of the greatest artists in the last 50 years from all corners of...
Posted Aug 6th, 2010
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love is Now Available on Movies On Demand
After a successful theatrical run throughout the U.S. in cities including NYC, San Francisco and Washington, DC, “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love” is now available for instant download on Movies On Demand with the following cable providers: Comcast, Time Warner, Cox, DirecTV, Echostar, Ipvod, Cablevision, Verizon, TVN, Charter. It’s also available for download through Amazon.com: On January 26,...
Posted Jan 15th, 2010
Youssou N'Dour on MTV Iggy
When Youssou N’Dour (considered the greatest living African musician today) celebrated the Sufi tradition of Islam in his 2004 album Egypt, he violated the Muslim taboo against mixing the spiritual with the secular. The documentary I Bring What I Love (now playing in theaters), captured the raging controversy that ensued, following Youssou for two years and chronicling his life, music,...
Posted Jul 17th, 2009
Nat Geo Music Catches Up With Senegalese Superstar Youssou N'Dour And Filmaker Chai Vasarhelyi
Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour may be Africa’s greatest living pop star. A multi-platinum selling Grammy-winner, N’dour is just as well-known these days for his philanthropic work alongside the likes of Bono and Bill Gates. And while he may not be a household name here in the States yet, a recently-released documentary film may change that very soon. Directed by American...
Posted Jul 2nd, 2009
Youssou NDOUR: I BRING WHAT I LOVE, Coming to Theaters on June 12!
It gives us great pleasure to announce that the new award winning documentary film about world music superstar Youssou N’Dour Youssou N’Dour: I BRING WHAT I LOVE, is coming to theaters on June 12! Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love is a music-infused cinematic journey about the power of one man’s voice to inspire change. N’Dour is the highest...
Posted Jun 2nd, 2009
Youssou NDOUR on NPR
A seventeen-plus-minute feature about Youssou NDOUR, including an interview, aired on NPR’s Tell Me More this morning. You may listen to it here:
Posted Nov 26th, 2007
Youssou NDOUR to Perform at Live 8!
Senegal’s own Youssou NDOUR will be performing at 3 Live 8 shows: London and Paris on July 2nd and then in Edinburgh on July 6th. The only African artist on any of the bills… LIVE 8 is part of a day of action across the world which kick-starts The Long Walk to Justice that calls on the leaders of the...
Posted Jun 20th, 2005
Youssou NDOUR - Egypt Released Today
While Youssou NDOUR’s international releases have always combined Senegalese musical traditions with outside sources of inspiration, Egypt takes a fresh approach; on this album, the rhythms and melodies of Senegal drive arrangements featuring Egyptian and Arabian orchestral sounds. Featuring traditional musicians in Dakar and in Cairo, EgyptEgypt’s lyrics demonstrate a distinctly Senegalese way of Islam, and of Sufi thought and...
Posted Jun 8th, 2004
Super Etoile Rider: Download (pdf)
NDOUR has created a musical context that’s as large with possibilities as his sinuous, spine tingling singing
Rolling Stone
The kind of world pop in which the blend of Western pop and African tradition sounds so organic that to talk about the different elements is to miss the whole
Washington Post
African rock’s great global star, he has found the most graceful and purposeful balance between the local and the international
The New York Times
Youssou NDOUR has been called ‘the African voice of the century” and “one of the world’s greatest singers.” That may suggest a whiff of hyperbole, but not in the case of NDOUR, who has been thrilling audiences with his contemporized versions of Senegalese mbalax music for nearly three decades
Los Angeles Times
The Senegalese global music icon’s scintillating, soaring, and serpentine vocals have epitomized Afropop to the ears of the world.
The Boston Globe