Senegalese musician Baaba Maal has announced a new album shortly after appearing on the soundtrack of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Being is the 69-year-old’s first album since 2016’s The Traveller and was recorded in Brooklyn, London and Senegal.
It features his regular collaborators including Cheikh Ndoye on bass ngoni and Momadou Sarr on percussion, with the songs dealing with themes including honouring tradition and dealing with new technology.
"I'm talking about the celebrations of the fisherman…"
Baaba Maal thinking about the first track from Being, Yerimayo Celebration, ready tomorrow. #BMinsight 7 pic.twitter.com/b7uPQyZ9Gt
— Baaba Maal (@baabamaal) November 30, 2022
It comes after he appeared on the track Nyana Wam from the Black Panther sequel, whose soundtrack was composed by Swedish composer Ludwig Goransson.
Maal, from Podor on the Senegal River, said: “However far I travel, whatever direction, I will always return home.
“It is the nomadic nature. To wander, but to return home, eventually.
“Home is where you start from, where you begin to learn what really matters, and home is where you finish.
“Podor is the perfect place for me when I need some time to think, to see my music with a fresh eye, to surprise it, snare it, catch it unawares as if coming across it for the first time.”
Yerimayo Celebration, the first track from the album, is released today, with the full album following on March 31 2023.
It continues his partnership with producer and multi-instrumentalist Johan Karlberg, who has also worked with artists such as Self Esteem, The Very Best and Santigold.
Maal and his band will perform at the Barbican in London, the first time in 20 years at the venue, on May 30 2023.