Biography
Who is Youssou N’Dour?
Early life and beginnings
Youssou N’Dour was born on October 1, 1959, in Dakar, Senegal. Ethnically he is Serer, born to a Serer father and a Toucouleur mother, though culturally he is Wolof. He started performing music at the age of twelve and later performed regularly with the Star Band, which was Dakar's most popular group during the 1970s.
At the age of fifteen, Youssou joined a band called Diamono and toured West Africa. By 1976, at the age of sixteen, he signed a contract to sing with Ibra Kasse's Star Band at the Miami club in Dakar, where he quickly became a sensation among local music fans.
Musical career and major hits
In 1978, Youssou followed several musicians from the Star Band to form Étoile de Dakar. This group made important contributions to Senegal's newly evolving mbalax musical style, which incorporated traditional Senegalese music into Latin styles. After the group split, he continued with Super Étoile de Dakar, which eventually evolved into his primary backing band.
Youssou achieved major international success in 1994 when he released his biggest international hit single, the trilingual track 7 Seconds, recorded as a duet with Neneh Cherry. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with numerous Western artists including Peter Gabriel, Sting, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen, and won a Grammy Award for his album Egypt in 2005.
Media owner and political career
In addition to his music career, Youssou became a prominent media owner. He founded Groupe Futurs Médias in 2003, a mass media company that owns the newspaper L'Observateur, the radio station RFM, and the television channel TFM.
Youssou entered politics and later became involved in government service. From April 2012 to September 2013, he served as Senegal's Minister of Tourism following his support for President Macky Sall during the 2012 presidential election cycle.
Birthday and age
Youssou N’Dour was born on October 1, 1959, which makes Youssou 67 years old today. That birthday falls under the Libra sign. Youssou shares the date with 35 other famous people.
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