Due to to his powerful stage presence and the exceptional dexterity of his kora playing, N’Faly Kouyaté has been dubbed the “Jimi Hendrix of the kora”. He has toured the world over including Singapore, USA, South Africa, West Africa and all over Europe. In 2015 he won the ‘Guinean Music Award’ the ultimate accolade from his homeland, birth place of many great musicians. He was nominated for the ‘Octaves de la Musique 2012’ in Belgium and was one of the winners of ‘Le Rêve Africain’ in Paris. In 2001 he was nominated for a Grammy award with the Afro Celt Sound System.
His long collaboration with the Afro Celt Sound System has seen him perform at some of the world’s greatest festivals such as Glastonbury, Dranouter, Montreux Jazz Festival, WOMAD, Montréal International Jazz Festival, New York Central Park Summer Stage and so forth. Such is N’Faly’s Kouyate’s unique charisma that when his tall stature appears on stage in the Afro Celt Sound System’s colourful line up, the crowd erupts in appreciation.
The world is realising that N’Faly Kouyate is truly a gifted artist in his own right. His latest album, Change, released earlier in the year is a true masterpiece of contemporary West -African music, effortlessly combining N’Faly’s diverse musical influences and producing tracks ranging from a hard hitting, Afro-tech music that brings you sounds similar to the ethnic rock of bands like Santana to more subtle jazz-funk and traditional African tracks.