Viviane (born Viviane Chidid) is a

Senegalese Demographic features of the population of Senegal include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. About 42% of Senegal's population i ...

pop singer who is the former backing vocalist and former sister-in-law of

Youssou N'Dour Youssou N'Dour (, ; also known as Youssou Madjiguène Ndour; born 1 October 1959) is a Senegalese singer, songwriter, musician, composer, occasional actor, businessman, and politician. In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' described him as, "perhaps the m ...

. Viviane is known as the queen or reine of Senegalese music. Her music combines traditional Senegalese

mbalax Mbalax (or mbalakh) is the urban dance music of Senegal, Mauritania and the Gambia. The musical style is rooted in the indigenous instrumental and vocal styles accompanied by polyrhythmic sabar drumming of the Wolof, a social identity that incl ...

music with elements of U.S. rap, R&B and

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

. She released her first album in 1999 and formed a group called Le Jolof Band in 2001. Most of her songs are in either

Wolof Wolof or Wollof may refer to: * Wolof people, an ethnic group found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * Wolof language, a language spoken in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania * The Wolof or Jolof Empire, a medieval West African successor of the Mal ...

or English though a few are in French, the official language of

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

. On March 31, 2012 the label Wonda Music of producer

Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis (born August 9, 1975) is a Haitian record producer and musician. His first major success came as the producer of the Fugees' 1996 album ''The Score''. He served as the bass guitarist for the group and is the cousin of Wy ...

signed her to his recording label. Since then, Viviane has been working with Jerry Wonda and her album was released in 2015.

Personal life

Chidid was born in

Mbour M'Bour or Mbour (; Wolof: ''Mbuur''), is a city in the Thiès Region of Senegal. It lies on the Petite Côte, approximately south of Dakar. It is home to a population of 284,189 (2023 census). The city's major industries are tourism, fishing a ...

, Senegal on 29 September 1973. Her father is from

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and her mother is from

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

. Her grandmother from her mother's side is from

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

. She was born Christian, but now she converted to Islam. Viviane got converted by Serigne Saliou Mbacke the son of

Ahmadou Bamba Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853–1927), also known to followers as the Servant of the Messenger () and Serigne Touba or "Sheikh of Touba", was a Sufi saint and religious leader in Senegal and the founder of the Mouride Brotherhood (the ''Muri ...

in the early 90s. A few years later when she married her ex husband Bouba Ndour, the brother of Youssou Ndour, they had two children together Zeyna and Philippe.

Albums and videos

As of 2009, Viviane currently had two albums actively selling on the market, in grocery stores and even in the shop in Senegal's airport. Those two albums were ''Bataclan Cafe'' (the most recent) and ''Man Diarra'', which arrived in 2005. ''Bataclan Cafe'' contains work recorded live in concert and her hit "Beggue Na Lenn" (meaning "love you all" in English) which she has a video for; receiving regular spins on Senegalese television in 2007. The hit single off the 2005 Man Diara album was "Kagna La Giss". In the song she sings vibrantly about missing her loved one, and dreaming and wishing of his return. Like many Wolof songs, and as tradition in music of the region, the song builds and builds to a climax and the final verse captures her giving shout-outs to various people. In 2010 she gained her first taste of international notoriety by doing a commercial for the Ritz cracker company where she can be heard singing her song "Ta Ta Viviane!" Viviane signed to Wonda Music on March 31, 2012. She has been working with Grammy award-winning producer Jerry Wonda at Platinum Sound Recording Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Relationship to American music

A story that briefly details Ndour's relationship with American music is relayed by Likembe on his blog: "It's said that the first time Viviane heard Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody" she thought it was Americans copying Senegalese music. Her remake, "Goor Fit," featured on Entre Nous/Between Us/Ci Sunu Biir, proved to be one of her most memorable and popular songs, so naturally there had to be still another version, "Am Fit," from 2003's Fii Ak Fee (Jololi). I've always liked Aaliyah's original, but Viviane's versions take the song to transcendent new levels."

Live shows

While some of her songs may borrow American styles, Viviane still stays true to her roots as a Senegalese artist. In her live shows, the songs do not follow the usual 3- to 5-minute formats of American songs. She usually has a live band, and the drum work is provided in traditional fashion as a dancer will make movements responding naturally to whatever changes in rhythm the drummer may decide to make. Unscripted, whenever Ndour decides, she will again return to the song, but much of it is separated with interaction/ad libs with the audience.

Accolades

Awards

* 2002 Kora Awards- Nominated * 2011 AFROTAINMENT MUSEKE AFRICA MUSIC AWARDS- Winner * 2012 Cameroon Entertainment Awards- Winner * 2012 Nigerian Entertainment Awards- Winner * 2012 Kora Awards- Nominated * 2013 PORO AWARDS 2013 Abidjan World Music Festival- Winner * 2016 WatsUp TV Africa Music Video Awards - Winner (Best African Female Video)

Nominations

* 2014 African Muzik Magazine Awards (Best Female West Africa) - (Nominated) * 2012 Car Battery Awards (BEST) - Won

Albums

*''Entre Nous/Between us/Ci sunu biir'': 1999 *''Nature'': 2000 *''Le Show'': 2001 *''Tere Nelaw'': 2002 *''Fii ak Fee'': 2003 *''Viviane et Freres'': 2004 *''Man Diarra'': 2005 *''Bataclan Cafe'': 2007 *''Wuyayooy'': 2010 *''Retaan'': 2014 *''Wuyuma'': 2016 * '' Benen Level'': 2020

References

External links

* http://www.moamas.com/ * http://www.cameroonentertainmentawards.org/Winners2012-Music.aspx#nominees * http://www.jaguda.com/2012/09/03/nigeria-entertainment-awards-2012-all-the-winners/ * https://web.archive.org/web/20121107235347/http://www.koraawards.org/container/_nom.php?categor=2 {{DEFAULTSORT:Ndour, Viviane Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century Senegalese women singers Senegalese people of Lebanese descent Senegalese people of Mauritanian descent Senegalese people of Malian descent People from M'Bour Converts to Islam from Christianity 20th-century Senegalese women singers