While still relatively young, the singer-guitarist Sahad Sarr has been showered with international music awards since 2016 by a host of countries including France, Tunisia, the United States, Kenya, Morocco, and of course, his beloved country of Senegal. It’s perhaps because his stage name combines meanings in two languages, “harvest” in Serer and “resurrection” in Wolof, denoting his powerful drive coupled with a sense of humour—two attributes reflecting his desire to be counted among the Kutis, N’Dours and other such greats.

In 2015, Sahad and The Nataal Patchwork quickly made their mark with their concept of a musical mosaic from snippets of notes in sequences, creating an original sound grooving with energy. Sahad is a sonic catalyst that will make you want to clap your hands and stamp your feet. In his view, unity is stronger than our differences, and most important are shared ideas and the right tone.

Sahad is in a relentless pursuit of music that reinvents and redefines itself through versatility. There’s no way that he is going to solely limit himself to his Senegalese heritage. Afrobeat, desert blues, jazz and reggae add colour to his unpretentious rhythms. He sings in Wolof in a contemporary style that has won him the admiration of Dakar’s musical community. With its subtle arrangements of guitar and tama drum, his song “Ndakaaru,” which features Khalifa Gueye, legendary singer of the Orchestre National du Sénégal, reflects a tender attachment to his culture.

This Prix RFI Découvertes 2025 finalist can seamlessly move between smooth and lively rhythms in complex and funky tunes like “Tassu Café,” from his album Luuma. In a single song, he can string together a whole array of styles! This Senegalese rocket is set to blast off from Festival International Nuits d’Afrique’s stage this summer. Climb aboard and fasten your seatbelt for a journey bordering on cosmic…