Blick Bassy Premieres New Single MPODOL Today
By: Tori Hartshorn May. 17, 2019
Emerging Cameroonian artist Blick Bassy debuts new single "Mpodol" today. The song honors former Cameroonian leader Um Nyobé, translating to "He who carries the voice of his people." The single precedes Bassy's forthcoming album 1958 which is set for release on June 21 via No Format/Tôt ou Tard/IDOL. Watch/share the video for "Mpodol" HERE. Pre-order the album HERE. Bassy will celebrate the new release with a special performance at SummerStage in New York on June 30. He is currently on tour in Europe.
Imagine an African artist with the tenderly subversive touch of Bon Iver, the haunting falsetto of Skip James, the razor-like mind of Akala, and the inventiveness of Moses Sumney. You've just imagined Blick Bassy. In the slipstream of his acclaimed album Akö, Blick Bassy delivers 1958, a defiant tribute to the heroes who fought and died for the independence of his native Cameroun. Its focus is specific, but its themes-the bondage of neocolonialism, the need for heroes, the relevance of history and the search for true identity-are universal.
1958 is a soulful collection of songs sung in Bassa, Bassy's ancestral language. Out now in the U.K. and receiving much critical acclaim, 1958 features collaborations with Clement Petit (cello), Alexis Anerilles (trumpet and keyboards) and Johan Blanc (trombone), and was co-produced by Bassy alongside Renaud Letang (Feist, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Lianne La Havas, Saul Williams, Manu Chao).
Watch the video for the album's first single, "Ngwa" HERE.
Blick Bassy was sent away from the capital Yaoundé at the age of ten to live with his grandparents in the great equatorial rainforest. The lessons he learned there about the primacy of nature, the importance of village society to African identity and the uniquely poetic qualities of Bassa-the ancestral language he uses in his songs-underpin his life and resound through his work. They first took shape in Macase, the highly successful award-winning group he founded in Cameroon, and their expression matured after Bassy moved to France in 2005 with a string of acclaimed albums culminating in the 2016 release ofAkö, whose track "Kiki" was chosen for Apple's iPhone 6 ad campaign.
BLICK BASSY-1958
- Ngwa
- Nguiyi
- Kundé
- Woñi
- Mpodol
- Sango Ngando
- Maqui
- Pochë
- Bès Na Wé
- Where We Go
Photo credit: Justice Mukheli
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