INTERVIEW : NATTY JEAN
Interview by : Rémi Capdevielle
Pictures by : Franck Blanquin
on Thursday, March 22nd 2012 - 8 300 views
The first artist signed to Baco Records, Danakil's label, Natty Jean is a fine musical prospect from Senegal. Spotted in 2008 in Bamako by the shrewd Manjul thanks to a voice he can do almost anything with, Natty Jean is about to join the big league. With his very first opus "Santa Yalla" just in the racks, he has begun his first solo tour. Buttonholed at La Cigale on the sidelines of his first Paris date with Manjul's Humble Ark Band, he agreed to play along with an interview.
Reggaefrance / Your first album "Santa Yalla" is finally about to come out. What has your journey been so far?
Natty Jean / I was born in Dakar, Senegal. I started getting into music with hip-hop. And then I left for Mali in 2007. I was already listening to reggae at the time, guys like Jah Mason, Sizzla and the classics... In Bamako, I gave in to my attraction to those particular vibrations. As I grew up, I also found that the image and the message of rap no longer suited me. I moved naturally to reggae because I was starting to identify with it and it made me work my voice.
How did the meeting with Danakil come about?
We met in Mali, at Manjul's Humble Ark. At the time I hung around there a lot, I did a bit of everything, so I was the guide, you know... And it went well straight away, there was a good vibe between musicians and between human beings, you see. It was a beautiful meeting and it ended up in music! At the beginning, since we had just met, we were getting to know each other and jamming in the house. That led to two featurings on their album and some backing vocals, since I was on the label with quite a few artists too. That's what got me chosen for the 2011 tour with Danakil. I did nearly 100 dates with them, here and in Europe. And now I'm here to present my album "Santa Yalla". I've had the opportunity to reach the French audience and the people we got moving with the band. That means there's expectation behind it, hope... It's a beautiful meeting!
Before that you had also run into a few problems, in particular finding real deals for this album. Manjul then gave you a helping hand.
Manjul is a guy who is there, who invests his own resources to move things forward. He helps young artists like me a lot through his experience and his personal means. Because otherwise, it's true that there's no real structure that looks after young African talents and lets them flourish. When we met, he had listened to one of my tracks recorded in a home studio with a friend, and he felt he could do something with it, even though it was just a small demo made in a little corner of a bedroom. We progressed slowly, we had time to live together, to talk, to evolve little by little, and that gave this album.
 Avec ou sans Wade, je veux la paix 
So what exactly is there in this "Santa Yalla"?
First of all, you should know that "Santa Yalla" means "Thank God". Once you've said "God", it means you have faith. Me, I have this faith in Unity. Without complexes. Today, there's no more miserabilist cliché of Africa, of the guy who turns up to beg. Today, people believe in us! Me, in any case, I believe in myself as an African. I sing in Wolof about the realities of my country, because it's the country I know, because it's me!
In Senegal, the second round of the presidential elections is scheduled for 25 March. What is your view on these elections?
First, I hope there will be peace. That there won't be any deaths, as is the case more or less everywhere in Africa. Then, I trust the Senegalese people. Of course, I never imagined there could be a second round (only the second in Senegal's history, Ed.). It reassures me to see that people got up to go and vote and that they know what they want. After that, for the future, we'll have to see how it develops. But all I ask for is peace... With or without Wade, I want peace. I want innocent people to stop dying because of two politicians who don't care. They come and ask us how we are as the elections approach, when they know full well, and it's been an eternity... What nearly happened in Senegal is a great classic of African leaders. We've seen how it played out pretty much everywhere. I'd like us Senegalese to set an example. We must vote in the second round, whoever wins. People must go all the way to the ballot boxes, we must be there to make sure everything goes well, and whoever wins will have amply deserved it!
What do you think of artists who get involved in politics, like Youssou N'Dour?
That's a state of mind. Responsibilities. Me, I believe in Destiny. When you reach a stage where you represent a lot of things, a lot of hope, when the people are there and you can change things for the better, do it! Youssou N'Dour pushed back barriers. His shoulders, his experience allow him to have his say... I liked the way he got involved for us.
You are currently on tour, and you will also be at European festivals this summer: SummerJam in Cologne, the Chiemsee Festival...
Yes, and it's also the fruit of the work that was done with Danakil. They're surely the band doing best in France at the moment, so they're open to lots of festivals, and as our joint work is going very well, here I am! On stage everything is very natural. When I play live with them, I'm Natty Jean, of course, but I'm also Danakil. I represent. I give myself as fully to their set as to mine. We get on very well, so if we can keep working together and find a formula, I'm here!
I'll have my band in April, the Humble Ark Band, with Manjul and Faya Horns, among others...
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