Blick Bassy

Cameroonian singer/songwriter Blick Bassy was born in 1974 and grew up in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, but he came to appreciate his cultural heritage when he was sent to live with his grandparents in their village at the age of ten, learning about the Bassa culture of his ancestors. At 17, he formed his first band, Jazz Crew, following it with Macase in 1996. The latter group released the albums Etam (1999) and Doulou (2003). Bassy left Macase in 2005 and moved to Paris, where he freelanced as a musician with Manu Dibango, Cheick Tidiane Seck, Lokua Kanza, and Etienne Mbappe before getting a contract to make his first solo recording. His debut solo album, Léman (which means “mirror”), was released in the U.S. by Four Quarters on May 19, 2009. Two years later, he returned with Hongo Calling. Around this time, he relocated to Cantin, a small village in Northern France. In 2015, Bassy delivered his third full-length album and first for France’s No Format label, Akö. He then spent much of the next several years touring heavily around the world. ~ William Ruhlmann