PRESS RELEASES
May 29, 2025 / VIEW
May 15, 2025 / VIEW
album artwork / click for hi-res version
photo credit Camila Jurado / click for hi-res version
AFRICA EXPRESS DEBUTS NEW SINGLES
“SOLEDAD” AND “OTIM HOP”
FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE (artist bios HERE): TRACK LIST
AFRICA EXPRESS PRESENTS… BAHIDORÁ
TOUR DATES
NEW ALBUM AFRICA EXPRESS PRESENTS… BAHIDORÁ DUE JULY 11 VIA WORLD CIRCUIT RECORDS
Abou Diarra - Alansito Vega - Baba Sissoko - Bonobo - Bootie Brown - Damon Albarn - Django Django - Eme MalaFe - Fatoumata Diawara - Hak Baker - Imarhan - Joan As Police Woman - Jupiter & Okwess - K.O.G. - La Bruja de Texcoco - Los Pream - Luisa Almaguer - M.anifest - Mare Advertencia - Mélissa Hié - Mexican Institute of Sound - Moonchild Sanelly - Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) - Onipa - Ophélia Hié - Otim Alpha - Poté - Seye Adelekan - Son Rompe Pera - Tayhana - Tom Excell - AND MORE …
May 29, 2025—Globally acclaimed music phenomenon Africa Express is sharing two new singles in celebration of their highly anticipated forthcoming studio album, Africa Express presents... Bahidorá (due July 11 via World Circuit Records). Stream/share “Soledad” featuring Damon Albarn, Luisa Almaguer, Nick Zinner, Seye Adelekan, Joan as Police Woman and the Mexican Institute of Sound and “Otim Hop” featuring Otim Alpha, Bootie Brown, K.O.G. and Tom Excell HERE.
“Soledad” is a stunning cinematic duet sung in Spanish by Damon Albarn and Luisa Almaguer, a melancholic and beautiful track with mournful lyrics that intone “Soledad soledad soledad sin fin” (“Loneliness, loneliness, endless loneliness”). It is accompanied by “Otim Hop,” a cool slice of laid-back hip-hop with Bootie Brown’s slick tale of a hustle spliced with Ugandan Afrofuturist Otim Alpha’s autobiographical lyrics about “big man running trying to escape poverty.”
Mexican singer-songwriter and trans community advocate Luisa Almaguer notes, “‘Soledad’ and Africa Express are both symbolic and material examples of reparation for the historical debt that whiteness and the mainstream owe to racialized and independent artists around the world. It makes me very happy to be part of this, it still feels like a dream to me. It’s a beautiful glitch in the Matrix.”
Damon Albarn says “Luisa possesses one of the most unique and enchanting voices I have ever heard. It’s a real honor to accompany her on this piece of music,” while Marco Carion and Camilo Lara of the Mexican Institute of Sound add, “We spent a week in magical Bahidorá and this is the result, our rendition of the Mexican bolero in the voice of Luisa and Damon. ‘Soledad’ speaks of loneliness, but through the collaboration with Luisa, Damon, Camilo, Seye, Nick and Joan, that loneliness turned into a beautiful sense of union. We are tremendously proud of ‘Soledad.’ It was an honor and a privilege to collaborate with such incredible musicians.”
American rapper and songwriter Bootie Brown (The Pharcyde) goes on, “Listening to the stories Otim was telling made me realize that you have to adapt to struggle. And when you think you have it hard, there is someone that can top your struggle very easy…The song was created when we were just sitting around from a long day and it was time to pack to get ready for the ride to the airport. Magic man Otim had an idea and we just all came together for one last effort.”
Recorded in Mexico, Africa Express Presents… Bahidorá will be available digitally as well as in double CD and double gatefold vinyl LP formats; pre-order/pre-save the record HERE.
Africa Express went to the Americas for the first time in 2024 to headline the Mexican festival Bahidorá, a trip which saw an extraordinary group of musicians, singers and DJs from around the world come together to rehearse, perform and write new music ahead of an epic five-hour show on the banks of the ancient springs of Bahidorá. Afterwards, they stayed on to record together in field studios, tents and hotel rooms. The result is this remarkable collection of 21 tracks, the project’s sixth album and first since 2019’s Africa Express presents…Egoli, which was recorded in Johannesburg.
An album like no other, Africa Express presents... Bahidorá is a joyful and mind-blowing sonic trip which distills the joy of a musical adventure in Mexico into 21 extraordinary songs that are perfect for our times. Featuring artists from four continents but with roots firmly planted in Mexico, it entwines rich musical traditions ranging from cumbia, hip-hop and kuduro through to soul, salsa and the sweetest pop.
Africa Express is an adventure and a journey, always evolving and exploring fresh musical boundaries. It is based on respect and seeks to promote a simple concept: that human beings are stronger when we collaborate, when we communicate openly and when we accept that we all have something to say. It is about breaking down barriers with artists from different nations, genders, generations and musical genres, joining forces in a display of unity. The idea is perfectly expressed by the eclecticism, spirit and sounds of Africa Express presents… Bahidorá.
Africa Express will hit the road this summer for a run of dates across Europe, including the Roskilde Festival on July 6 and Barcelona’s Cruïlla Festival on July 11. See below for a list of tour dates.
ABOUT AFRICA EXPRESS
Africa Express started in 2006 in Mali, connecting local stars Toumani Diabaté, Bassekou Kouyaté and Amadou & Mariam with visiting artists including Martha Wainwright, Fatboy Slim and co-founder Damon Albarn. Now it is a globally-known project, yet it never loses its capacity to surprise, whether live or on record. It has invited Western artists to countries such as Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and Mali; staged collaborative concerts lasting up to seven hours from Liverpool to Lagos; taken a train filled with musicians around Britain to mark the London Olympics; reformed a Syrian orchestra divided by civil war; and recorded the first African interpretation of Terry Riley’s minimalist classic “In C.” Participating artists have included Baaba Maal, Blur, Charli XCX, Faia Younan, Femi Kuti, Flea, Franz Ferdinand, Kano, Oumou Sangaré, Paul McCartney, Paul Weller, Rachid Taha, Rokia Traoré and Tony Allen, among many others.
For more information, please contact Joe Cohen or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.
1. Soledad ft. Damon Albarn, Luisa Almaguer, Nick Zinner, Seye Adelekan, Joan As Police Woman, Mexican Institute of Sound
2. Otim Hop ft. Otim Alpha, Bootie Brown, K.O.G., Tom Excell
3. Mi Lado ft. Alansito Vega, Poté, Mare Advertencia
4. Seya ft. Onipa, Fatoumata Diawara, Abou Diarra,
Mélissa Hié, Ophélia Hié
5. Tayhana ft. Tayhana, Otim Alpha, La Bruja de Texcoco
6. Kuduro ft. Fatoumata Diawara, Moonchild Sanelly, Tom Excell
7. Defiant Ones ft. Son Rompe Pera, M.anifest, Ophélia Hié,
Mélissa Hié, Mexican Institute of Sound
8. Raise A Glass ft Django Django, Mare Advertencia, Seye Adelekan
9. Ofrenda de Sangre ft. Luisa Almaguer,
Mare Advertencia, Alansito Vega
10. Chucha ft. Son Rompe Pera, Joan As Police Woman, Otim Alpha, Abou Diarra, Ophélia Hié, Mélissa Hié, Mexican Institute of Sound
11. Quisiera ft. Luisa Almaguer, Alansito Vega,
Nick Zinner, Joan As Police Woman
12. The Sky Above You ft. Seye Adelekan, Luisa Almaguer, Joan As Police Woman, Nick Zinner, Imarhan, Damon Albarn
13. Dorhan Oullhin (What The Heart Desires) ft. Imarhan, Damon Albarn
14. El Niño ft. Eme Malafe, Los Pream, Mélissa Hié, Ophélia Hié, Joan As Police Woman, Marco Carrion, Alansito Vega
15. Invocation ft. Onipa, Jupiter Bokondji, Otim Alpha,
Damon Albarn, Joan As Police Woman
16. Hacernos Así ft. Luisa Almaguer, Damon Albarn, Seye Adelekan, Nick Zinner, Joan As Police Woman, Mexican Institute of Sound
17. Frenemies ft. Hak Baker, Bonobo, Damon Albarn,
Otim Alpha, Mélissa Hié, Ophélia Hié
18. Kelegusta ft. Tayhana, Otim Alpha, La Bruja de Texcoco
19. El Diablo y La Bruja ft. La Bruja de Texcoco, Los Pream
20. Pánico (Cuelga al DJ) ft. Mexican Institue of Sound, Damon Albarn, Los Pream, Nick Zinner, Montana Kinunu Ntunu
21. Adios Amigos ft. Baba Sissoko, Luisa Almaguer, Joan As Police Woman, Abou Diarra, Mélissa Hié, Ophélia Hié, Yendé Balamba
July 5 /// Roskilde, DK /// Roskilde Festival
July 6 /// Budapest, HU /// Müpa
July 8 /// Berlin, DE /// Huxleys
July 9 /// Hamburg, DE /// Elbphilharmonie
July 11 /// Barcelona, ES /// Cruïlla Festival
www.africaexpress.co.uk
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