“Our goal is to get recognized. We desire that [our tales] get revealed” the contributor with Mumford & Sons stated
In an interview, Baaba Maal discussed his new album “Being” and his global music career. However, his legacy while expressing his wish that “The whales roaring in the foreground aren’t too booming.”
His 14th solo album, “Being,” which features the songs “Freak Out,” “Agreements,” & “Yerimayo Celebration,” will be released on 31st March.
The 2020’s Covid-19 pandemic acted as the inspiration for “Being”, his first album got to release since 2016’s “The Traveller.” The Senegal icon discovered life’s ups and downs while the world was on shutdown “since this record was developing itself.”
He said, “Music shouldn’t focus on the fight. Let things happen naturally from our hearts and souls and share them with those who love to do the same.”
‘Being’s’ entrance wasn’t “a wonder,” but it “appeared at the appropriate time,” according to Maal. He “found [his] family” while learning the song’s main theme.
Maal described himself in an interview as a nomadic. And explained how his view of the family got changed as a result of his travels.
He attracted Mumford & Sons’ notice while traveling, and they later collaborated on the song “Johannesburg” for their micro. Despite that he was in his profession for 40 years at the time, Maal learned something from the “unique voyage.”
“It was an inspiration for all of us. But it was also a message for me as it wasn’t my band,” he said.
“You had to work inside it even if it was another’s, band.” The fun part was saying, “Let’s create some songs,” as we entered the workshop”.
Maal is one of the most influential voices in African music. Who also contributed to classic soundtracks, most notably for the 2022 film ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.
Significance of African Tales in Music
Baaba Maal stated, “It’s still an African tale, so I felt that I had to include music from African musicians. Which would help those who would see the film. And hearing our experiences within it relates to [the storyline] on a more personal level”.
The 69-year-old artist loves utilizing his influence for good, and he intends to keep up his charitable endeavors. In 2003, Maal got appointed as a Youth Emissary for the UNDP. Since then, he established his own humanitarian organization, NANN-K. The Podor-born musician is “Attempting to help younger people and women find a decent job. And the aim of this is spreading messages of peace and unity,” he said.
“Of course, there are issues, conflicts, and diseases in Africa just like anywhere else on the earth,” said Maal. But we have the continent’s beauty, and we crave being heard. We desire for [our tales] to get told.
