Youssou N'Dour Sets Chan Centre Performance, 11/10

The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts at the University of British Columbia (UBC) presents the triumphant return of Youssou N'Dour, hailed by Rolling Stone for having "a voice so extraordinary that the history of Africa seems locked inside it", November 10 at 8pm in the Chan Shun Concert Hall. N'Dour, whose songs have been credited with sparking historical social movements, shares his arresting tenor voice and trademark fusion of pop, mbalax and other influential genres with Vancouver audiences for the first time in more than 25 years.

"It's an honour to present Youssou N'Dour, an incredible and captivating artist I last had the pleasure of seeing perform way back at Expo '86!" says Joyce Hinton, Co-Managing Director of the Chan Centre. "Drawing on his griot heritage of sung history and social commentary, N'Dour creates music of exceptional power and relevance. He's a gloriously gifted singer, composer, bandleader, and producer and we're delighted to welcome him back to Vancouver."

Youssou N'Dour achieved world fame in the 1970's and 80's with his catchy mix of traditional mbalax, West African dance music that fuses complex rhythms of the sabar drum with modern pop, as well as other world music genres. The Senegalese sensation also derives his music from the griot tradition of praise-singing and story-telling, which he sets most often to lyrics in Wolof, a major language of Senegal.

With a voice described as sinuous, spine-tingling, clarion, and resolute, the celebrated vocalist of exceptional range has led Le Super Étoile de Dakar (previously Étoile de Dakar) for more than five decades. The band has toured internationally for thirty years, charming new fans along the way with their electrifying synergy while also raising awareness to key global causes, most notably with the 2009 song Fight Malaria.

Beyond his social contributions through music, some of which include rallying international support for Africa as well as women's rights and religious tolerance, the golden voiced star has dedicated himself to social advocacy in the roles of UNICEF ambassador and previously Senegal's Minister of Tourism and Culture. In recent years, N'Dour's stardom has continued to surge - in 2007 he was named to the TIME 100, the annual list of "men and women whose power, talent, or moral example is transforming the world."

Winner of Sweden's prestigious Polar Music Prize, N'Dour has over his career released more than 40 albums, and in 2004 received a GRAMMY for Egypt, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. Considered a "musical chameleon", N'Dour is often sought to collaborate with renowned musicians, some of whom have included Peter Gabriel, Sting, Paul Simon, Tracy Chapman, and Branford Marsalis.

In this performance marking his long-awaited return to Vancouver, N'Dour and his exceptionally talented band share their greatest hits of the past several decades since they began.

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