Seckou Keita releases Homeland

From ultra-catchy pop and dance tunes to intimate and acoustic pieces, Senegalese kora player and composer Seckou Keita continues to defy categories with an impressive body of work that beautifully blends traditional music and rhythms with pop sonorities, embracing afro-pop, urban, hip hop, and spoken word. Welcome to the first chapter of his new album Homeland.

This ambitious collection of 12 tracks was recorded and mixed across four countries (Senegal, UK, Belgium and Germany) beginning in 2022 with a mixture of four languages: Mandinka, Wolof, English and French from an array of extraordinary guests and collaborators. Homeland takes listeners on a surprising journey from past to present through music and words. Questioning the very idea of what ‘home’ means, Seckou Keita explores his own identity and relationship with his adoptive UK and native Senegal.

The story behind the album began in 2017 when Seckou Keita started a series of Pan-African collaborations, including a track with Senegalese superstar Baaba Maal. That collaboration, and the global context through 2020, created a desire for Seckou to develop a deeper understanding of this musical exploration: “Since the events of 2020, my mind and heart have been actively seeking the answers to so many questions in relation to my UK adopted home and my Senegalese native one. Two lands, two homes, and all the places I regularly visit in between; each place embracing family, friends, music and stories.” — Seckou Keita

For this project, it is no surprise that Seckou Keita, known as a master of collaboration, was compelled to bring in other sounds, other voices and other stories to such an important project. So he teamed up with his friend, one of the most sought-after Senegalese producers, Youssou N'Dour co-producer, Moussa Ngom to create a unique, crossover sound that subtly brings together acoustic and electronic music, traditional rhythms and urban beats...