Senegalese musician Sahad Sarr’s sound has been a decade in the making, and he is now showcasing it in his new album, African West.
In his work, Senegalese musician Sahad Sarr has been heavily inspired by African, American and other influences. He has lofty ambitions in terms of reshaping these influences.
“We’re calling for an uninhibited youth, a new way of relating to the world, a new way of thinking about globalisation in our own way. Not the kind of globalisation that’s been imposed on us, even in the cultural and creative industries, even in music, you know. People are waiting for Africa to produce a certain type of sound. But we’re saying no, we’ll produce the kind of sound we want to produce. We’re creating our own markets, we’re going to create our own sonic identities,” Sarr says.
Sarr’s work is driven by a pride in being African, and deep connection to Senegal, where he leads a series of projects to inspire young people to be ambitious.
“I picture myself at a post-independence radio station in the 1970s, you see, and this is a sound that’s made to speak about all the struggles that have taken place. African West Station is also a decolonial manifesto, a decolonial plea. It’s a radio station that vibrates and broadcasts its waves across the whole of West Africa. So we tried to bring in sounds from Guinea-Conakry, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana. We’re going on a journey.”
Sarr has performed with his band across the world and will be representing his country at the international jazz festival in Germany in April.
