We need self-confidence in our ability to build Africa. I trust in Mali and I trust in music.

Without an audience, all your dreams will not come true at all, because you need an audience to write new songs and continue to do music.

It's a great experience just to understand that finally being well known is not the most important thing.

I don't know if it's due to my age, that I'm older now, [but] I love the essentials. I don't like the things around us that are a kind of mirage.

Going back and forth between Western Arabic and African countries clearly created the various musical backgrounds I could have and obviously influenced my professional attitude, my way of approaching both music composition and singing, particularly phrasing.

You just have to try before thinking that you can't.

I can introduce new parts because when you are on stage in front of a very happy audience or people who love what you are doing, you are able to do extraordinary things that you yourself didn't think you could do before.