Category

Music

Discography, Music, Releases

‘Being’ is Available NowFeatured

THE NEW ALBUM

Being

Being, is an album about being from Africa, being a songwriter, being a romantic, being a realist, being wary, being online, being at the mercy of the elements, being on your way somewhere, and ultimately about being from Podor while being connected through song and dance to an always changing, always challenging world. 

Ideas about sound, movement, and sensation materialised at home based on recent experiences touring the world and lengthy, freestyle musical workouts with friends and favourite Senegalese musicians. The jams, loops and beats passed back and forth between Maal and Johan Karlberg, generating their own character and atmosphere. This ‘whatever happens, happens’ combination of fast and slow time, of speeding up and cooling down, of nature and technology became part of the music’s essence, along with the combining of indefinable ancient ritualistic mood with futurist exuberance, a futurism of heart and mind..

On Being, there are seven songs shimmering between dirty thorny desert blues and intangible electro-spirituals, between uplifting chants and trance-like freak outs. They are about generational debts and conflicts, rivers, watching people, seeing new generations of Africans make themselves felt, the impact of technology, remembering dreams, the magic of place, the strangeness of time, the feeling of home, the stars above, and the rhythms inside and out. Mixing up signs of a new Africa, there is a welcome reunion with The Very Best’s singer Esau Mwamwaya on ‘Freak Out’ and appearances from exciting new singer Rougi on ‘Boboyillo’ and Mauritanian rapper General Paco Lenol on ‘Nbedo Wella.’ 

 

“Always in my life, but especially in these last years, especially during the years of the pandemic, I discovered in my true soul that the only thing that matters to me is to just be. Whatever happens, it has to happen, and we have to deal with it. But my wish is that good things happen to me and to all people, so we can always be together, we can always travel, we can always discover how much this world, this planet can be beautiful. Being a musician is how I express this wish and how I try to make it come true.”

Baaba Maal

Track listing

1. Yerimayo Celebration
2. Freak Out Ft. The Very Best
3. Ndungu Ruumi
4. Agreement
5. Boboyillo
6. Mbeda Wella
7. Casamance Nights

Buy Album

Buy/ Stream the new album, ‘Being’

Press Quotes

His most satisfying outing in decades ★ ★ ★ ★
– Mojo

‘Being’ is the most enjoyable album Maal has released to date 8/10
– Clash

Just when you thought that Baaba Maal had no more surprises up his sleeve, along comes Being, a shimmering, stomping work of glory
– New Internationalist

You don’t need to understand the words to get the sense that Maal’s music is serving a higher purpose ★ ★ ★ ★
– The Times

Baaba’s soaring voice has never sounded more soulful. A fabulous return by one of Africa’s greatest living voices ★ ★ ★ ★
– Songlines

 Barbican Live May 30th

On May 30th, 2023, Baaba and his band will also be performing at The Barbican in London, his first appearance at the venue in 20 years. Hear Baaba perform tracks from ‘Being’ in the Barbican’s exquisite concert hall, book your tickets now to avoid any disappointment.

Continue reading
Music

Baaba Maal on NPR’s ‘All Things Considered’, ‘Ways To Change The World, and ‘Rockenteurs Podcast’

Senegalese singer Baaba Maal speaks on his latest single, ‘Agreement’, and his upcoming album ‘Being’ on this episode of ‘All Songs Considered’. Listen back to the show below, hear Baaba’s feature at 25:20.

In today’s Ways to Change the World, Baaba sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss the power of music and why we are all politicians in our own way when it comes to helping the world. “I’m a nomadic person, I don’t want to stay in one place”. When Baaba writes his music, he takes inspiration from the places he visits. “When I started travelling, I came to London, I bought cassettes, I appreciated different people. And when I got a chance to meet them, we sat down and wrote songs”. But no matter how much Baaba has travelled, and to where, he always brings his music “back home to Podor, Senegal”.

Watch a the podcast below, or listen back to the full show here: LISTEN

This week on Rockonteurs, Gary Kemp and Guy Pratt meet the singer and guitarist Baaba Maal.

Born and raised in Senegal, Baaba has long been a champion of ensuring the sounds of Africa are heard across the globe.

He’s worked with other artists from Brian Eno to Mumford and Sons and created the soundtrack for the Black Panther movies. Baaba Maal releases his new album on March 31st called ‘Being’. His first in 7 years.

Listen back to the show here: LISTEN

Continue reading
Live Gigs, Music, Travel

Baaba Maal Plays The Barbican For The First Time In 20 Years Next May!

Baaba and his extraordinary band will be performing at the Barbican in London, the first time in 20 years at the venue, on May 30th, 2023. He will be performing his definitive tracks and music from his forthcoming album, Being. He’ll be bringing a guest to open the show with him, which will be revealed at a later date.

The general sale for tickets opens on Friday 09.12 at 10am (GMT), and tickets are available from The Barbican’s website.

 

Tickets

Get Tickets For Baaba’s Barbican Show

 

Press Quotes

worship at the feet of a true master.
– The Telegraph

Maal’s progressive outlook on music performance certainly warrants his booking at any of the best venues in the country.
– The Independent

Contemporary electronics and West African guitar music combine to thrilling effect with Baaba Maal’s output.

– Evening Standard

An often emotional reminder of Maal’s lengthy career and acoustic roots.
– Guardian

A rich performance was bolstered by abundant musicians, dancers and audience members.
– Financial Times

 

 

Continue reading
Live Gigs, Music, Travel

Baaba Maal Returns To Blues Du Fleuve Festival In 2022!

Taking place in Podor, Senegal, from the 5th of December 2022. Baaba will be returning to the Blues Du Flueuve festival along with his band and will be bringing a variety of special guests. The Blues Du Fleuve is primarily a music event but also features art, fashion and artisanal crafts, as well as discussions and booths relating to local cultural issues and climate change.

Nann-K

Continue reading
Live Gigs, Music, Travel

The 2019 edition of the Blues Du Fleuve Festival is coming up soon!

Taking place in Podor, Senegal, on the 6th, 7th and 8th of December. The three day festival will see Baaba and his band the Daande Lenol performing alongside a variety of special guests. The Blues Du Fleuve is primarily a music event but also features art, fashion and artisanal crafts, as well as discussions and booths relating to local cultural issues and climate change.

Check back again soon for artist listings and more updates.

Official Festival Website

Nann-K

Continue reading
Films, Music

Wakanda Remixes Out Now

Available today from Marvel Music/Hollywood Records is the Black Panther: Wakanda Remixed digital EP featuring 5 remixes of tracks from the original motion picture soundtrack composed by Grammy®-nominated composer and songwriter Ludwig Göransson and performed by Baaba Maal. Göransson produced and remixed two of the five tracks, “Waterfalls” and “Black Panther.” It also includes tracks produced by DJ Dahi (Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Drake), Canadian producer WondaGurl (Travis Scott, Big Sean), plus Michael Uzowuru and Jeff Kleinman (Jorja Smith, Anderson Paak, Frank Ocean).

Marvel Studios’ Black Panther has been a cultural phenomenon. The score soundtrack debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s World Music chart in its first week of release. The film recently crossed the $700 million mark at the domestic box office, becoming just the third film in history to reach this incredible threshold and is also the biggest domestic release of 2018 and the second biggest global release of 2018.

So kick back, imagine you are chilling with T’Challa & Okoye and put yourself in Wakanda with these new interpretations.

Watch the video

Click here to listen

Click here to buy online

Continue reading