Baaba Maal is one of the few African world stars. born in Podor in the Senegalese province of Fouta in 1953, he belongs to the Tukulor people. He decided to study music in Dakar in 1974 via a cappella singing and traditional melodies, and later also in Paris. Fifteen years later, in 1989, his distinctive voice was heard for the first time on a recording. Since then, he has released ten albums, including on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, as well as on Mango and Palm Pictures. Baaba Mal has thus become one of the most prominent representatives of African music. Legendary concerts played a significant part in this, including the 1996 concert with Santana at Wembley Arena, the Nelson Mandela Freedom Concert in South Africa (2001) and his appearances at the biggest British festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival and Isle Of Wight. Baaba Mal received a Grammy nomination for "Missing You", and he performed in Korea in 2002 and in South Africa in 2010 at the Football World Cup.