The young artist Amadeus is back with an album entitled Taaru Senegalan ode to his country.
4 mins
Sitting on a comfortable sofa in a Dakar recording studio, Saliou Samb, alias Massamba Amadeus, and his manager Idrissa roll out head-turning figures: 1 million plays in 3 weeks for the new album Taaru Senegal12 million views for the clip for the title “Jëli” in one month, sixth most listened to Senegalese artist on the Spotify platform… At 30, he is now one of the essentials of the Senegalese scene.
The young man dreamed of success during his childhood, in Richard-Toll in the north of the country. He grew up lulled by the records his parents listened to. “ My dad was Bembeya Jazz or even the Guinean Mory Kanté », he remembers in a soft voice, smiling. “ My mother mostly listened to local music, she loved the great Senegalese singers like the griotte Yandé Codou, and my older brother was a fan of rap. “.
Despite this taste for music, there was no question of Amadeus’ father letting him launch into the adventure head first. “ I was always among the top five in the class. My father gave me permission to pursue music, but I had to continue my studies until my first university degree “.
In second grade, he started rapping with three friends… He wrote and sang choruses for the group and sharpened his pen. “ People told me : ‘you sing well, keep going!’ It gave me a taste for the song “. Saliou continued to make music as an amateur until obtaining his degree in communications at Gaston-Berger University in St-Louis.
Make a name for yourself
From there, Massamba Amadeus put in place a well-crafted marketing strategy with his managers to make his career take off in a few years. To start making a name for himself, he started with covers of big names like Youssou N’Dourthen duets, with Wally Seck or Mia Guisse. “ I had to prepare the ground, prepare the public for my universe and make myself knownexplains the young man. We didn’t want to release the album too early “.
After these collaborations, Amadeus released his first solo titles, then an EP in 2023, and scoured the restaurants of Dakar where, tirelessly, he performed live several times a month.
Taaru Senegalthis new album, is the culmination of this work. The title means “beauty of Senegal” in Wolof and Amadeus wants to pay homage to his country and all its traditions. He also shot a first clip in the Sine Saloum region, south of Dakar. “ We went to look for extras in the villages » enthuses Idrissa. Local wrestlers and musicians were involved. The next clips will be available in other regions of the country.
In Amadeus’ music, we hear the traditional influences of the griots that his parents and the Senegalese love so much, and when he begins to sing a cappella, his harmonious melodies captivate the ears, but the singer has brought his touch of modernity, with catchy sounds, between afrobeats and pop.
Large audience
Because if he wants to export Senegalese music as much as possible, Amadeus above all wants to reach as many audiences as possible. “ Someone in Gambia, Australia, or France needs to be able to appreciate my music », he explains.
His texts are mainly in Wolof, but for the artist this is not an obstacle to the universality of his music. “ Music has no boundaries, it’s all about emotion. When I was a kid I loved listening to Rihannahe remembersand I had no idea what she was saying. Still, it spoke to me. » He also chose his stage name Amadeus, with the ambition of “ transcend the ages ”, like Mozart.
But don’t let his t-shirt and watch sparkling with bling bling mislead you… Amadeus remains the polite and calm child he was. He speaks in a soft voice and also wants to write beautiful texts, without any vulgarity. “ I studied a lot, I learned figures of speech, pleonasms, it allows me to enrich my texts “.
Fame sometimes bothers him. Although he likes to share his music, he finds it complicated to be recognized in the street every day and going out to buy a coffee in the corner shop becomes mission impossible. Painful fans who ask for photos? “ Rather the birthday videos », he laughs with his manager Idrissa.
It is on the stage that the artist flourishes. Good news: Amadeus should fill the Grand Théâtre de Dakar and its 1,800 seats on February 1st. After that, he is preparing a first international tour next year which will take him to Italy, France and Canada.
But the most important thing for him remains to return regularly to Richard-Toll to see his family who still lives there to regain strength, far from the hustle and bustle of Dakar.
Amadeus Taaru Senegal (Cosa Nostra) 2024
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