Youssou N'Dour
1 October 1959 – present
Youssou N'Dour is a Senegalese singer, songwriter and businessman who helped popularise mbalax, a fusion of Wolof percussion traditions with Cuban and Western popular music. He led Étoile de Dakar and then the Super Étoile de Dakar, collaborated with Peter Gabriel and Neneh Cherry, and won a Grammy Award for his album Egypt. He later founded a media group in Senegal and entered politics, serving as a government minister from 2012.
Lived at the same time
Well-documented people whose lives overlapped with Youssou N'Dour.
- Ada Yonath (1939–2026) Overlapped 67 years →
- Adonis (1930–present) Overlapped 67 years →
- Ai Weiwei (1957–present) Overlapped 67 years →
- Akira Yoshino (1948–present) Overlapped 67 years →
- Alex Ferguson (1941–present) Overlapped 67 years →
- Ali Khamenei (1939–2026) Overlapped 67 years →
Life events
Born in the Medina quarter of Dakar into a family with griot traditions on his mother's side.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJoined the leading Dakar dance band as a teenage vocalist.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLeft the Star Band with other musicians to create a group that developed the mbalax sound.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgThe band that became his long-term backing group.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgSang on the track In Your Eyes and toured internationally with Gabriel.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgThe duet became an international hit single.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgBuilt a Senegalese company running a newspaper and radio and television stations.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAwarded for the album Egypt, recorded with Egyptian musicians.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHe had declared his candidacy for the 2012 election; the council ruled his nomination invalid.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgJoined the government formed after Macky Sall's election as president.
Source: en.wikipedia.org