Seckou Keita Announces New Album 'Homeland (Chapter 1)'

Seckou Keita announces his brand new album Homeland (Chapter 1) releasing 18th October 2024 via Hudson Records.

Homeland (Chapter 1) is an impressive body of work that beautifully blends traditional music and rhythms with pop sonorities, embracing afro-pop, urban, hip-hop, and spoken word. The album presents a mixture of four languages: Mandinka, Wolof, English and French, and an array of extraordinary guests and collaborators featuring the talents of  Zena Edwards, Hannah Lowe, Daara J Family and more.

Throughout the album, Seckou celebrates both the ties we keep with our ancestral lands and the contributions we make to our adoptive lands with soulful ballads, pop anthems, irresistible big bands, dancey grooves, and intimate stories.

Overall, Homeland Chapter 1 acts as a bridge of genres; subtly blending the infectious Mbalax rhythms from his native Senegal with urban beats in tracks such as Nay Rafet and Ni Mala Beugué or between acoustic and pop anthems as shown in Wakili. It delves into past and present across serious topics, all led by the Kora, an ancient instrument dating from the 13th century, but always looking at its relevance today. Listeners will undoubtedly be moved, emotionally and physically.

“At the heart of Homeland is storytelling, an essential part of the griot tradition, which has been shaped over centuries and is an integral part of my life and my culture. Above all else, we are the preservers of stories and history.”
- Seckou Keita