Recently, Museke.com interviewed Youssoupha Sidibie, a Senegalese musician who plays West African kora/harp music. Check out his CD Sacred Sound at CDBaby.

Museke: How is everything?
Youssoupha: Very Good, Thank you.

Museke: Can you tell us about your background and family?
Youssoupha: My grand-father was from the Wassulu tribe of Mali, he immigrated to Senegal, and started a family. I was born in Dakar the capital of Senegal, in a Family of 8 children.

Museke: How did you get into music and what was your first break?
Youssoupha: I got to music, by feeling it very deeply in my heart. After many years of studying on my own, I ended up going to college at The National Music Conservatory in Dakar, Senegal. My first break was winning a regional traditional music contest with my first band, Lewru, that competition led us to secure a gig for a month at a Jazz club in Dakar.
Museke: What musical instruments do you play?
Youssoupha: I play the Kora, African harp.

Museke: Can you tell us a bit more about the kora? What is its origin?
Youssoupha: The Kora is the African harp, it has 21 strings, it is originated in West Africa, You can find it in Senegal, Guinee, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkinafaso and Gambia.
The Kora is played by the Griot who is the Musician, of the community.
All the countries have their style of playing the Kora, which makes the repertory very large and exiting. In history, the first Kora had 6 strings and over the time it was improved until it had 21 strings. In my country, the Kora was created by a griot (musician) that wanted to please his king and he dreamed of the Kora. He went the next morning into the forest and came back with the Kora , started to play it for his king, since then it has stayed in the hand of his family from generation to generation. In my lineage, from the Wassulu tribe, the tradition is very much about improvisation, the songs of the birds.

Museke: Are you on a record label and how is that going?
Youssoupha: Yes, I have my own record label as a independent Musician, It been going very well because, I’m not waiting on anybody. I record my music and find a distributor to do the rest. I have a agent that gets me gigs and I travel to share the African culture and the Senegalese Sufi tradition that I am a part of.
I feel a lot like a cultural ambassador because a lot of people don’t know about the Kora.

Museke: Which African musicians did you listen to growing up?
Youssoupha: I listen to a lot of African Musicians, specialy from Senegal, Xalam, Youssou Ndour, Toure Kunda, Super Diamono. Also, I listened to a lot of Fela,, Luccky Dube, Alpha Blondy, Salif Keita etc..

Museke: Which African musicians do you idolize or admire (presently)?
Youssoupha: Salif Keita

Museke: How long did it take you to do your first album?
Youssoupha: It took me a year to complete, the whole album.

Museke: Have you featured on any other albums?
Youssoupha: Yes, I co-wrote on Youth, by Matisyahu, that album went Gold in 2006. I’m also featured on What I be, by Michael Franti. I’m working on releasing and album that I made with Charles Neville.
I’m also working on a collaboration album with Midnite reggae band of Saint Croix, which is going to be out in July 2008.

Museke: What are your most memorable collaborations?
Youssoupha: The one with Matisyahu that earned a Gold disc was amazing for me.

Youssoupha performing with India Arie

Museke: What kind of music or genre do you do?
Youssoupha: I play Sufi music, from my brotherhood, the MURID of Senegal. It’s devotional music with traditional roots and lots of innovative melodies.

Museke: How has it been performing in the US compared to back home in Senegal?
Youssoupha: The U.S. has more venues, and possibilities, but performing in Senegal can be very fun also because it is home and the interaction with the public is more intimate.

Museke: What is the inspiration for the songs you write?
Youssoupha: The inspiration comes from my life and the reality that I face everyday and also from my faith. As a musician, your inspiration just comes from anything with your mood, and condition. I’m also very sensitive about the African reality today and that makes me reflect a lot in my writing.

Museke: Are you happy with your level of popularity or presence in Senegal?
Youssoupha: Well, I’m not popular at all in Senegal, I left 10 years ago and since then, I didn’t release an album over there, but your question makes me think, maybe it is time to release an album over there.

Museke: What challenges do you face in the American music industry?
Youssoupha: Well, you know it is not easy to make a musical carrier happen outside your home country, but anything is possible when you’re coming with a conviction that music is about healing the world.
The American industry is used to categorizing the African music as world music, and for me it makes it harder for the African musician to brake that door open, that’s why I collaborate with the maximum amount of musicians possible, to make it more diverse and in the reach of any music fan.

Museke: What is in the future of your music?
Youssoupha: I see my musical future very promising, because I have been breaking ground and I don’t intend to stop, I’m very happy about what I have accomplished in this last 2 year period of time. Also people like what I do that is very encouraging to me, it keeps me going.

Museke: How can Senegalese music expand and sell outside?
Youssoupha: Like I said, it is hard to expand the African music outside, because of a lot of factors like language, rhythm etc. That’s why Youssou Ndour did a lot of collaboration with musicians from Europe and the rest of the world.
But still promoters and musicians are doing what they can to get through the big markets.

Museke: Do you have any present engagements and works other than music?
Youssoupha: No, I do music full time, and run my own record label.

Museke: What are your hobbies and pastimes?
Youssoupha: I’m a videographer I have a musical program at a community television in my town in Mass. I love making videos.

Museke: Do you have a website?
Youssoupha: Youssouphasidibe.com
Myspace.com/youssouphasidibe