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Noura Mint Seymali

Noura Mint Seymali is a profoundly commanding Mauritanian vocalist and ardin player who has been redefining the boundaries of Moorish griot music. Born into a line of influential griots, a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of West African oral history, Noura has music deeply engraved in her roots. Her stepmother, Dimi Mint Abba, was one of Mauritania's most iconic artists, and from her, Noura garnered invaluable artistic guidance. Seymali's father also played a significant role in her musical upbringing as a composer and the director of the national Mauritanian orchestra.

With a career that seamlessly bridges traditional Mauritanian sounds and contemporary world music, Noura Mint Seymali has made her mark with the mastery of her instrument, the ardin, a harp traditionally played only by women. Her albums such as "Tzenni" (2014), "Arbina" (2016), and her most recent "Métis-sage," showcase a mesmerizing blend of ancient and current, where modal, blues-infused melodies intertwine with progressive arrangements. Noura's music does not just echo the past but converses with the present, as she incorporates modern instruments like electric guitar, played by her husband, Jeiche Ould Chighaly, bass, and drums into her sound, creating a unique genre-defying and transnational fusion that has brought her international acclaim and solidified her place as a pillar of African music and global fusion.

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