Spotlight on the headliners of Senegalese music who made the news in 2024.
3 mins
Amadeus, the Senegalese Mozart
He is a young prodigy who is nicknamed the Senegalese Mozart. And for good reason since his stage name is Amadeus or more precisely Massamba Amadeus. We spotted him during his participation in the Prix Découvertes RFI 2023 where he was among the 10 finalists. Even if he did not win the competition, he took advantage of this year 2024 to make a name for himself and produce an album which was a hit. Taaru Senegal which means “Beauty of Senegal” was released on November 1st of this year. The record recorded more than a million plays on platforms in less than three weeks, a real success.
Wally Seck, godfather of the Dakar scene
On the single “ Jeli », a title entered in the RFI playlist this month, Massamba Amadeus is accompanied by Wally Ballago Seck, a key figure in the Senegalese music scene. He is one of the most listened to artists in the country. Since his last album I wanna be free released a little over a year ago, he has found himself in numerous collaborations which have exceeded millions of views. Let us cite for example “ Insurance » with the Malian musician Sidiki Diabaté, « Choice » with the Senegalese star Mia Guissé or even « Yaa Young » with Mouhamed VJ, the young Dakar phenomenon. Wally Seck also just filled the Adidas Arena, one of the largest Parisian venues, at the beginning of December.
Viviane Chidid, the queen of mbalax
Another big name in Senegalese music that we regularly find in theAfro club DJ Face Maker on Thursday, it’s the singer Viviane Chidid, a real hit machine. She woke up the mbalax by integrating an afropop touch of her own. Its title “ Jealousy » released more than 3 months ago has nearly 10 million views on YouTube. A usual score for the woman who is now nicknamed the “queen of mbalax”. 2024 will also have been the year of all the trophies for the star who has won numerous awards for his productions around the world.
Dip Doundou Guiss, Senegalese rap virtuoso
He is still in the top listens in Senegal, it is the rapper Dip Doundou Guiss who needs no introduction. It’s been almost fifteen years since Dominique Preira, his real name, launched onto the Dakar rap scene. He released his latest album LFLF (Lepp Fii Lañu Fekk) a year ago. A real success which resonated throughout the year 2024. The 33-year-old rapper also continues to move from one stage to another. We met him this summer at the Africa Station in the Paris suburbs, during the Olympic Games. A memorable evening in front of an excited audience.
Youssou N’Dour, the king of mbalax
The superstar was also there during the special Senegal evening at the Africa Station. The king of mbalax sang the first three words of his hit “Birima” before letting the crowd finish the song in chorus. It was the very beginning of the concert. A grandiose moment shared on the airwaves of RFI and on RFI Musique’s social networks. The great Youssou N’Dour has not finished talking about him. He just gave us a Christmas present with a single “ Insisteel » which announces the release of a new album Light up the world scheduled for February 21. A year 2025 which looks promising for Senegalese music.