Latest news with #NenehCherry
Malay Mail
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
‘Let's rock': World music icon Youssou N'Dour back on the road
DAKAR, April 22 — A rat-a-tat percussion and keyboard riff, and Youssou N'Dour's voice tore through the dark Dakar sky, as the world music legend geared up to do what he does best—rock through the night. With a new album out and a world tour starting this week, the Senegalese icon and Grammy Award winner—who confesses he 'couldn't live without music'—shows no signs of slowing down despite his 45 years in show business. 'Let's rock,' he barked to his 12-piece band Super Etoile at around an hour to midnight, before the strains of one of their last pre-tour rehearsals rang out well into the small hours. Five years after his last album, N'Dour's latest record Eclairer Le Monde (Light The World) voices his commitment to human rights and gives a place of honour to traditional African instruments, a feature of his extraordinary career. 'It's been nothing but a blast!' the 65-year-old told AFP of his decades in music. In that time he has cut dozens of gold discs and laid down tracks with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Sting, Manu Dibango and Neneh Cherry. After all that, why throw himself into another record and a gruelling transatlantic tour schedule taking in Paris, London, Munich and New York? 'Simple—I'm still passionate!' 'I regret nothing' Hailed as the 'king of Mbalax', his own urban musical melting pot of Senegalese rhythms and Latin styles, N'Dour brought his pioneering world music to international acclaim from the 1980s onwards. His 1994 hit Seven Seconds with Neneh Cherry shot up the charts across the world, while his frequent collaborations saw him bridge the divide between Western and African music. 'When I relisten to all the things I've had the chance to do, I regret nothing,' he told AFP on the sidelines of the rehearsal in the Senegalese capital. A multi-talented musician, songwriter, producer and arranger, N'Dour possesses a bewitching vocal range, reaching spine-tingling highs as Super Etoile ran through a frenetic rendition of his song Boul Ma Lathie. He hoped his latest album would 'restore prestige' to world music. Along with the rhythm of the djembe—a traditional drum—the songs feature traditional instruments such as the kora, sokou, ngoni and balafon. All are 'extraordinary in terms of their sound' to his ears. Another goal for his new record: to serve as a 'source' for younger people working in African pop music. 'Eclairer le monde' features many young musicians playing African instruments 'whose knowledge has been passed down from their parents', he said. He was 'enormously touched' that the music he has made still resonates today, with younger artists sampling and covering his tunes. 'It sends me into orbit,' he said. 'Until my last breath' Born in the working-class Medina neighbourhood of Dakar to an ironmonger father, the artist has a quarter-century of human rights activism behind him alongside his years of musical success. His latest album hails 'universal love for one's fellow human', while on Sa ma habiibi (My Love) he calls for respect for women's rights and condemns forced marriage. On Sam Fall and Ahmadou Bamba, his voice floats delicately above the band in tributes to Senegal's spirituality. 'Music is entertainment—we make people happy, people party to music—but we're aware that it's a force,' he said. 'Culture is the beginning and the end of where peoples and generations meet. We must continue to use it to deliver messages, to push powerful ideas such as human rights and mutual respect.' Ibou Cisse, N'Dour's keyboardist since 1987, put his boss's long career down to 'talent, passion' and companionship as well as his commitment to social and cultural causes. On top of all that the singer is also a businessman and press mogul, has founded his own political movement and served as Senegal's culture minister from 2012 to 2014. Given his hectic schedule does he ever see himself retiring from recording and no longer playing concerts? 'I'll continue playing music until my last breath,' he replied. 'I saw my grandmother sing at ceremonies, christenings and weddings when she was 80 or so... when the music is in you from your birth, it will be with you until you're gone. 'I couldn't live without music,' he added. 'As long as there is music, there is life.' — AFP
Gulf Today
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
World music icon Youssou N'Dour back on the road
A rat-a-tat percussion and keyboard riff, and Youssou N'Dour's voice tore through the dark Dakar sky, as the world music legend geared up to do what he does best — rock through the night. With a new album out and a world tour starting this week, the Senegalese icon and Grammy Award winner — who confesses he 'couldn't live without music' — shows no signs of slowing down despite his 45 years in show business. 'Let's rock,' he barked to his 12-piece band Super Etoile at around an hour to midnight, before the strains of one of their last pre-tour rehearsals rang out well into the small hours. Five years after his last album, N'Dour's latest record 'Eclairer Le Monde' (Light The World) voices his commitment to human rights and gives a place of honour to traditional African instruments, a feature of his extraordinary career. 'It's been nothing but a blast!' the 65-year-old told AFP of his decades in music. In that time he has cut dozens of gold discs and laid down tracks with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Sting, Manu Dibango and Neneh Cherry. After all that, why throw himself into another record and a gruelling transatlantic tour schedule taking in Paris, London, Munich and New York? 'Simple — I'm still passionate!' Hailed as the 'king of Mbalax', his own urban musical melting pot of Senegalese rhythms and Latin styles, N'Dour brought his pioneering world music to international acclaim from the 1980s onwards. His 1994 hit 'Seven Seconds' with Neneh Cherry shot up the charts across the world, while his frequent collaborations saw him bridge the divide between Western and African music. 'When I relisten to all the things I've had the chance to do, I regret nothing,' he told AFP on the sidelines of the rehearsal in the Senegalese capital. A multi-talented musician, songwriter, producer and arranger, N'Dour possesses a bewitching vocal range, reaching spine-tingling highs as Super Etoile ran through a frenetic rendition of his song 'Boul Ma Lathie'. He hoped his latest album would 'restore prestige' to world music. Along with the rhythm of the djembe — a traditional drum — the songs feature traditional instruments such as the kora, sokou, ngoni and balafon. All are 'extraordinary in terms of their sound' to his ears. Another goal for his new record: to serve as a 'source' for younger people working in African pop music. 'Eclairer le monde' features many young musicians playing African instruments 'whose knowledge has been passed down from their parents', he said. He was 'enormously touched' that the music he has made still resonates today, with younger artists sampling and covering his tunes. 'It sends me into orbit,' he said. Born in the working-class Medina neighbourhood of Dakar to an ironmonger father, the artist has a quarter-century of human rights activism behind him alongside his years of musical success. His latest album hails 'universal love for one's fellow human', while on 'Sa ma habiibi' (My Love) he calls for respect for women's rights and condemns forced marriage. On 'Sam Fall' and 'Ahmadou Bamba', his voice floats delicately above the band in tributes to Senegal's spirituality. 'Music is entertainment — we make people happy, people party to music — but we're aware that it's a force,' he said. 'Culture is the beginning and the end of where peoples and generations meet. We must continue to use it to deliver messages, to push powerful ideas such as human rights and mutual respect.' Ibou Cisse, N'Dour's keyboardist since 1987, put his boss's long career down to 'talent, passion' and companionship as well as his commitment to social and cultural causes. On top of all that the singer is also a businessman and press mogul, has founded his own political movement and served as Senegal's culture minister from 2012 to 2014. Given his hectic schedule does he ever see himself retiring from recording and no longer playing concerts? 'I'll continue playing music until my last breath,' he replied. Agence France-Presse
Khaleej Times
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
'Let's rock': world music icon Youssou N'Dour back on the road
A rat-a-tat percussion and keyboard riff, and Youssou N'Dour's voice tore through the dark Dakar sky, as the world music legend geared up to do what he does best — rock through the night. With a new album out and a world tour starting this week, the Senegalese icon and Grammy Award winner — who confesses he "couldn't live without music" — shows no signs of slowing down despite his 45 years in show business. "Let's rock," he barked to his 12-piece band Super Etoile at around an hour to midnight, before the strains of one of their last pre-tour rehearsals rang out well into the small hours. Five years after his last album, N'Dour's latest record, Eclairer Le Monde (Light The World), voices his commitment to human rights and gives a place of honour to traditional African instruments, a feature of his extraordinary career. "It's been nothing but a blast!" the 65-year-old told AFP of his decades in music. In that time he has cut dozens of gold discs and laid down tracks with the likes of Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon, Sting, Manu Dibango and Neneh Cherry. After all that, why throw himself into another record and a gruelling transatlantic tour schedule taking in Paris, London, Munich and New York? "Simple -- I'm still passionate!" 'I regret nothing' Hailed as the "king of Mbalax", his own urban musical melting pot of Senegalese rhythms and Latin styles, N'Dour brought his pioneering world music to international acclaim from the 1980s onwards. His 1994 hit Seven Seconds with Neneh Cherry shot up the charts across the world, while his frequent collaborations saw him bridge the divide between Western and African music. "When I relisten to all the things I've had the chance to do, I regret nothing," he said on the sidelines of the rehearsal in the Senegalese capital. A multi-talented musician, songwriter, producer and arranger, N'Dour possesses a bewitching vocal range, reaching spine-tingling highs as Super Etoile ran through a frenetic rendition of his song Boul Ma Lathie. He hoped his latest album would "restore prestige" to world music. Along with the rhythm of the djembe (a traditional drum), the songs feature traditional instruments such as the kora, sokou, ngoni and balafon. All are "extraordinary in terms of their sound" to his ears. Another goal for his new record: to serve as a "source" for younger people working in African pop music. Eclairer le monde features many young musicians playing African instruments "whose knowledge has been passed down from their parents", he said. He was "enormously touched" that the music he has made still resonates today, with younger artists sampling and covering his tunes. "It sends me into orbit," he said. 'Until my last breath' Born in the working-class Medina neighbourhood of Dakar to an ironmonger father, the artist has a quarter-century of human rights activism behind him alongside his years of musical success. His latest album hails "universal love for one's fellow human", while on Sa ma habiibi (My Love) he calls for respect for women's rights and condemns forced marriage. On Sam Fall and Ahmadou Bamba, his voice floats delicately above the band in tributes to Senegal's spirituality. "Music is entertainment — we make people happy, people party to music — but we're aware that it's a force," he said. "Culture is the beginning and the end of where peoples and generations meet. We must continue to use it to deliver messages, to push powerful ideas such as human rights and mutual respect." Ibou Cisse, N'Dour's keyboardist since 1987, put his boss's long career down to "talent, passion", and companionship as well as his commitment to social and cultural causes. On top of all that the singer is also a businessman and press mogul, has founded his own political movement and served as Senegal's culture minister from 2012 to 2014. Given his hectic schedule does he ever see himself retiring from recording and no longer playing concerts? "I'll continue playing music until my last breath," he replied. "I saw my grandmother sing at ceremonies, christenings and weddings when she was 80 or so... when the music is in you from your birth, it will be with you until you're gone. "I couldn't live without music," he added. "As long as there is music, there is life."
Washington Post
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Musician Neneh Cherry and medic Rachel Clarke are among finalists for a major nonfiction prize
LONDON — A moving memoir by Swedish singer Neneh Cherry and the gripping story of a heart transplant by British doctor Rachel Clarke are among finalists for the Women's Prize for Nonfiction , set up to help fix the gender imbalance in nonfiction publishing. Cherry's 'A Thousand Threads' and Clarke's 'The Story of a Heart' are on a six-book shortlist for the 30,000 pound ($39,000) prize.
Euronews
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025: Neneh Cherry, Yuan Yang, and Rachel Clarke in shortlist
ADVERTISEMENT The Women's Prize for Non-Fiction has announced its 2025 shortlist. The 16 works longlisted in February have been whittled down to six writers including Swedish singer Neneh Cherry, British-Chinese MP Yuan Yang and British physician Rachel Clarke. Foreign policy expert Chloe Dalton, historian Clare Mulley, and marine biologist Helen Scales are also shortlisted for the £30,000 (€35,900) prize. From the initial shortlist that featured five non-British writers, only one remains: Neneh Cherry. Related Little Simz reveals first acts for Meltdown Festival at London's Southbank Centre American playwright ak payne wins Susan Smith Blackburn Prize It's the second edition of the Non-Fiction prize after it was launched in 2024 to celebrate books released in 2023. The sister prize to the Women's Prize for Fiction, Canadian author Naomi Klein was the first recipient of the non-fiction prize for "Doppelganger", her critique of political polarization through the conceit of being regularly mistaken for Naomi Wolff. This year's shortlist covers a breadth of topics from history, science and nature, to current affairs and memoir. 'It's an absolute pleasure to announce six books on our 2025 shortlist from across genres, that are united by an unforgettable voice, rigour, and unique insight,' Kavita Puri, judging chair said. 'Included in our list are narratives that honour the natural world and its bond with humanity, meticulously researched stories of women challenging power, and books that illuminate complex subjects with authority, nuance and originality,' Puri continued. Cherry was shortlisted for her deeply affecting memoir, "A Thousand Threads", which traces her musical career and life through the emotional highs and lows that shaped them, while Yang was chosen for her intimate portrait of four Chinese women in "Private Revolutions". "The Story of a Heart" is the latest work from Rachel Clarke, the doctor who wrote "Breathtaking" , the memoir of her time in the NHS during the first wave of Covid-19 . Her latest explains the history of heart surgery through the story of two children connected by a heart transplant. This year's judging panel, from L to R: Elizabeth Buchan, Dr Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Kavita Puri and Emma Gannon. Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025. Longlisted books that didn't make the shortlist include American Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum's "Autocracy, Inc.: The Dictators Who Want to Run the World" which tackles the democratic threats of kleptocratic authoritarianism. The award is open globally to any books by female writers published in the UK between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. Alongside Puri, the panel of judges includes writers Dr Leah Broad, Elizabeth Buchan, Dr Elizabeth-Jane Burnett and Emma Gannon. The non-fiction prize was founded after a survey revealed that only 35.5% of books awarded a non-fiction prize in the past decade were written by women, across seven UK non-fiction prizes. They also determined that, as of 2022, just 26.5% of non-fiction books by female writers were reviewed in national newspapers. Shortlist for the Women's Prize for Non-Fiction 2025: "A Thousand Threads" by Neneh Cherry "The Story of a Heart" by Rachel Clarke "Raising Hare" by Chloe Dalton "Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka" by Clare Mulley "What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World's Ocean" by Helen Scales "Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China" by Yuan Yang
