Ismaël Lô

About Ismaël Lô

Guitarist and harmonica player who left Super Diamono in 1984 to build a quieter solo career on acoustic mbalax and ballads, often called Senegal's Bob Dylan for his lyric writing. His 1990 song Tajabone reached international audiences after Pedro Almodóvar used it in All About My Mother, and his collaborations with Marianne Faithfull and Cheb Mami widened his profile beyond West Africa. He continues to release albums in the 2020s and remains one of the most distinctive solo voices in Senegalese music.