Wasis Diop

• Genre: Afro-Pop
• Hometown: Dakar

About

Singer Wasis Diop emigrated from Senegal to Paris in the 1980s, dropping his engineering studies to play in several bands, including West African Cosmos. His first big break came when he composed the award-winning "C'est Le Dernier Qui A Raison" for singer Amina Annabi. Two years later he composed the soundtrack for the 1992 Senegalese film Hyenes, and that success led to his solo recording career. As a songwriter, Diop is deeply concerned with the survival of African culture, which manifested in two of his biggest hits: "African Dream," which hit the Top-40 in England, and the lush "Everything (…Is Never Quite Enough)," which made it onto the soundtrack of The Thomas Crown Affair.

- Sarah Bardeen