Song:7 Seconds
Album:7 Seconds: The Best Of Youssou N'Dour
Senegalese singer songwriter Youssou N'Dour is probably the biggest international star ever to come out of Africa. This 1994 hit 7 Seconds got him a lot of attention in North America. He was born Oct. 1, 1959 in Dakar, Senegal. He joined the popular Star Band Of Dakar at age 19 and took them over in a couple of years and renamed them Super E'toile de Dakar. The band started touring Europe in 1984 and then North America. N'Dour's five octave vocal range got the attention of Paul Simon & Peter Gabriel. He appeared on Simon's Graceland album, Gabriel's album So and then toured with Gabriel as his opening act. This led to N'Dour starring in the 1988 Amnesty Interrnational Human Rights Now! tour. Gabriel got him a contract with Virgin Records and his 1989 CD Set was N'Dour's first internationally released CD. In 1991, N'Dour signed with Spike Lee's 40 Acres & a Mule label. 7 Seconds was on his 1994 CD The Guide and to date is his biggest international hit. Neneh Cherry was hot at the time with her hit Buffalo Stance. N'Dour & Cherry wrote the song with Cherry's producer husband Cameron McVey. This Columbia/Legacy comp is a great intro to N'Dour's music for beginners. Youssou N'Dour currently records for Nonesuch Records and his latest CD Rokku Mi Rokka was released Oct. 2007. He's still one of the leading figures in World Music. Here's the video for 7 Seconds by Youssou N'Dour featuring Neneh Cherry.
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