The artist, who "really got into music at 25," completed his 50-year career this year. He plans to celebrate his half-century in style: an album in December, concerts, and tours across Senegal, France, and Canada. But first, for L'Observateur (Thursday, September 25, 2025), the septuagenarian opened the album of memories of his life. With anecdotes, each one as stunning as the last.

1. Birth of a musician

“I stopped studying after getting my certificate. I was bored in class. Divisions were my pet peeve. When I stopped, I joined a carpentry workshop. There, there was an apprentice with whom I was very good friends. In the neighborhood where he lived, there was a group of friends with whom we had fun playing the guitar. It was there that I caught the music bug. At first, I wanted to be a drummer, then a bass player before starting to decipher the songs, do the backing vocals and sing.”

2. Young handyman

“In 1973, I started hanging out with a salsa orchestra. It was made up of real professionals. I was their handyman, carrying their luggage and making them tea. In the evening, I slept in the rehearsal room, among the musical instruments. This was at the time of Pape Fall, Labah Socé, and Mar Seck. After a while, I started singing in the choir. I had to be useful to them, to really learn from them.”

3. Clandestine in Marseille, DJ…

“I did a stint with the Cap-Vert Orchestra, in Rufisque. The manager, a Lebanese man named Alias Bana, adored me and took me in like his son. I still slept in the rehearsal room, on a mattress on the floor. Then we got contracts at Club Aldiana, then at Cap Skirring. Fed, housed, and clothed with a good salary, I was already making a living from music. Then I headed to Spain for six months. At the end of the contract, my comrades wanted to try to cross into France illegally. I chose to travel alone. At the border, after helping a police officer calm down an argument with a Spaniard, I invented the story of a sick wife in France. The police officer let me pass. That's how I arrived on French territory, without papers... I disembarked at the Marseille train station. I went to Club Méditerranée to look for work. I was offered a job as a DJ (disc jockey). I then told them that I was a DJ and a singer at the same time. They really believed me. Only, I didn't know anything about it and I was accepted. I went to another club in the provinces to learn how to be a DJ. I worked extra hard to get there. Once that was done, I spent 6 months at Club Méditerranée, before asking for a transfer to another club affiliated with them."

4. Maria

"I was in Morocco in another club called Agadir, as a singer. There, I found an orchestra already formed and the main singer had to go do his military service. I then started to rehearse and play with them. Six months later, I was sent to Yugoslavia, still as a DJ. There, I met an Italian orchestra that played Jazz. When their season ended, the musicians had to return. It was during this time that I also met Maria, an Italian woman who offered me to go to Italy to work in Sardinia. I accepted without any problem. Maria and I were together, we lived under the same roof. She had a friend named Pino."

5. Pino

“One day, I wanted to please Maria and decided to prepare a Senegalese dish. So I got to the kitchen. I prepared a pretty table with candles, a subdued atmosphere, and good music, while waiting for her to come home. When she arrived, Pino was with her, and I wasn't expecting it. The guy accosted me, asking when we were eating. I told him I wasn't his waiter; he should serve himself. I got nervous and went into the room. He followed me, and I slammed the door in his face. We fought, and the police arrived. I was handcuffed and taken to the police station. Luckily, Maria intervened so Pino wouldn't press charges against me. If he had, I would have been imprisoned.”

6. Cuckold, prison

"I later reconciled with Pino, and Maria and I continued our relationship. It was when I began to speak Italian that I understood that the two were lovers. Things then became more heated. We fought again, but this time I was forcibly taken to prison in Rome. After three months of detention, I was able to afford a lawyer who took care of my defense, and I was released for good behavior. I was able to benefit from a reduced sentence, even though I had been sentenced to one year in prison. It was by working within the prison that I was able to amass money to pay the lawyer. I cleaned the officers' offices and emptied the trash. When I left prison, I was taken to the Senegalese embassy for repatriation. The officers refused to pay me a return ticket. It was finally the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Italy that gave me a plane ticket to return home."

7. Walkman

"I returned to Senegal empty-handed, without any luggage or money in my pocket. I didn't tell my family members anything, and they thought my belongings would surely arrive days later. I only had 10,000 CFA francs in my pocket, thanks to my Walkman, which I sold upon arrival at the airport."

8. Novotel, Magueye Niang, Xalam

“When I returned to Senegal, I went back to the carpentry workshop, which belonged to my uncle. I immediately started working again. It was through a friend that I learned that the Novotel was looking for a singer. That’s how I passed the audition and I was chosen. I did covers of American songs and added a Wolof touch. I was very successful there. That’s how I was discovered by Maguèye Niang, the older brother of Prosper Niang from Xalam. He told me that he was going to introduce me to him and that I had to join this legendary group. I wasn’t too keen on this adventure, but Prosper came to see me. He was seduced when he saw me. We talked and he convinced me to join the group. I spent two years at Xalam and we released the album "Doolé" which was a hit. Since they were established in France, I started to feel homesick. Especially since my wife and children had stayed in Senegal. While their wives were with them and they were well established there, for almost 15 years. We made another album "Ndigeul". I received a monthly salary of 300,000 CFA francs, as I had agreed with them. I used the 100,000 CFA francs for my needs, I saved 100,000 CFA francs and sent the rest to my family in Senegal."

9. Canada-New York, the long march

“I walked from Canada to New York, without money, after an argument with my colleagues at Xalam. I took my two suitcases and my guitar, and I left. Along the way, I was forced to throw away my suitcases full of clothes. I kept a small backpack with winter clothes, a pair of shoes, and my guitar. I entrusted my destiny to God and took the highway straight away. I even threw away my passport because I didn't want anyone to know where I came from, as well as my residence permit and my bank documents. I walked for almost 5 days, from Canada to the United States border. Along the way, there was a kind of voice that recommended me to move forward without looking back. I crossed the border without being seen by the police. I had no papers. I went four days without eating. To quench my thirst, I drank meltwater. I arrived at the US border around 9 p.m. and hid under a truck. That's how I entered the United States."

10. “10 dollars, good luck”

“I was arrested once in the United States because I had actually been flagged by the Canadian border police. I was interviewed and then released. One of the officers gave me $10 and wished me luck. I was stopped a second time and then released. I walked so much that I no longer had the strength to carry my guitar. When I reached a corner of the road, I dropped it off at a red light and left. A student picked me up while hitchhiking. He had a red convertible. I was all dirty. My white shirt was filthy. At his house, I took a shower and changed. He bought me a bus ticket to New York and gave me $100. I spent three months in New York. I stayed with some Senegalese people who lent me money so I could buy a guitar. I traveled the American subways with my guitar and sang. I made nearly $200 a day. I started saving up small sums that I sent to my relatives in Senegal. I changed my wardrobe. And what surprised me most was that in the United States, the better you dressed, the more you earned. Afterwards, I called the guys from "Xalam" and Prosper came to pick me up. I met up with the band in France. Once at the airport, I passed through security without any problem even though I had no papers. I returned home after recording the album with the band. Back in Senegal, I started performing solo. I released an album every year."

BONUS

"Xarit"

“It’s a song that really touched me because friendship is sacred. And it’s a song that always reminds me of my best friend, Sogui, who is now deceased.”

Mariama

"The only thing that hurts me is that my mother didn't benefit from my success. She left when I was still unknown and penniless. I have a daughter named after her, Mariama, with my new wife."

To VJ and Co.

"Music should not prevent the younger generation from pursuing their studies and having a career. Music does not feed its man."