Singer-songwriter-musician Magou Samb credits his international music career to growing up in the musically-immersive environment of Dakar, Senegal. “When a baby is born, you play music; the day you die, you play music,” he says. “As music is so integral to my culture, it comes very naturally.” So it’s no surprise that his advice for young writers entering our Song Writing Competition, whether they are submitting lyrics or lyrics and a recorded performance, is to create your own musically-rich world: “Take the time to really listen to music. When you truly listen to music, you will become a better songwriter.”
Get additional tips below, plus learn about Magou’s background, why nature plays such an important role in his music, and more!
You are a songwriter, singer, and musician based in Paris, France. What has your career path looked like up to this point?
Music is my life. I’ve been playing music for more than 25 years—from when I was around sixteen years old. I learned to play in the community around Dakar, Senegal, where I grew up. In 2006 I left Senegal and moved to Frankfurt, Germany, where I recorded my first album. I traveled around Europe and I’ve been based in Paris for 10 years, playing music full time—it’s what I do!
You write songs and perform in several languages. Do you find that your songs, what you express, and/or your performance changes based on the language?
My first language is Wolof (a national language of Senegal) but I’ve spoken French since I was six years old, and I’ve been listening to English music (and have spoken English) since I was young. When I sing, the language doesn’t matter to me—you find a way to use each language to communicate musically, and it’s the message of the song that is the most important thing—regardless of the language.
Many of your songs focus on the environment. Why do you find yourself drawn to exploring the environment in your music? How can music illuminate/explore/celebrate the environment in a way that other mediums can’t?
When I was growing up, my home city was so green. I remember there being so many birds. It’s much less green in Dakar now. One of my goals is to go back to Africa and use music to raise awareness around the environment and plant trees. Music is such a powerful medium, and I really believe that music has a special power to touch people and to instigate change in how we live with nature. Nature was in the centre of everything we did in my tradition, and in our modern world, we need to return to having nature at the centre of how we live.
What are a few of the most important things a young writer should keep in mind when writing song lyrics?
For me, music is such a key part of my culture—music is life. Music is inside us and music is everywhere. When a baby is born, you play music; the day you die, you play music. As music is so integral to my culture, it comes very naturally. However, in contemporary society, there are many constraints around music and we don’t have time to just close our eyes and listen. So, I would say to all young songwriters, take the time to really listen to music. When you truly listen to music, you will become a better songwriter. You must also be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be different. Of course, you will be inspired by other songwriters’ lyrics too, but when you write your own song, let your true self shine through.
Our Song Writing Competition gives writers the option to submit a performance of the song along with their lyrics. If you’re going to make music to accompany your lyrics, is it better to write the tune first or the lyrics?
There is no rule here: sometimes you get the melody, and sometimes you get the words first. When you’re working out a song, I think it’s so important to play live music and just try things out. Playing live music creates so much emotion. Feel the rhythm, and let your heart and mind express it.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our young songwriters?
Something that I’ve discovered through playing music around the world is that music has no borders. Open yourself to all sorts of music: listen to a wide variety of music and, if you can, play music with a wide variety of musicians. I love living in Paris for this reason: you can play music with musicians from all around the world. Wherever you are, find the traditional music of the region, find music in a church, or listen to contemporary music. Find music in yourself as it’s always inside you, but I think the way to express it is to play with others.
