On a spring day in 1992, I had the pleasure of seeing Youssou N’Dour perform live at Foxboro Stadium for Earth Day. I had heard limited doses of him before, but I didn’t know much about HiS music. But even back then, N’Dour was already considered a crossover mastermind. Over the years, he has collaborated with hundreds of artists, including Sting, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel and Neneh Cherry.
N’Dour is a rare talent in the music world because he’s able to glide in and out of many different genres so effortlessly. Last year, he re-recorded one of his most well-known songs, “Birima” with Seinabo Sey. This version is beautiful, invigorating and, in my opinion, even better than the original.
