Search - Daby Toure :: Amonafi

'Amonafi,' the title of Daby Touré's new album, means 'once upon a time' in the West African language Wolof, and reflects Touré's desire to weave stories with a fresh perspective on the past, present and future of Africa. 'I wanted to present my vision of Africa s history,' says Touré, 'Its relationship to the world, what really happened, not peddle the same old platitudes and non-truths.' Beyond a tribute to Mother Africa, where Touré was born in 1975, one can hear in this assertion a wish to break free from the aesthetics of another era.

Touré refuses to embrace the mantle of the 'traditional' musician, a role that many would like him to play. The singer has always shown a love for pop: Stevie Wonder, The Police, Michael Jackson, artists who first triggered his desire to become a musician. Touré chooses to speak with his own voice, follow his instincts, and allow his work to honestly reflect the multiple influences that irrigate his identity. On 'Amonafi,' Touré's singular vision reveals a complex yet approachable sound, one that defies expectations and stereotypes of what it means to be an African artist today.

Born in Mauritania and raised in Senegal, Daby Touré has now lived more than half his life in Paris. Raised between two cultures, this 'Afropean' fully embraces his dual nationality. Neither one nor the other, Daby Touré is a citizen of the world in perpetual reconfiguration.

His fifth album marks the continuation of a solo career that began ten years ago. 'Amonafi' alternates between bittersweet songs and more playful ones, moving from flavors of folk and soul to upbeat Afropop. Touré is an unclassifiable author and prolific composer, a subtle singer, and a multi-instrumentalist. Daby Touré is as much an artist as a craftsman. In 'Amonafi' listeners can sense an identity in transit, one moving away from clichés. It's a fitting image for the soundtrack, a series of little stories, which paint an image of a creative mind that is always in action.