Mahamadou Souleymane, known professionally as Mdou Moctar, and born Abalak,
Niger, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He grew up in
Tchintabaraden and Arlit, where he developed an interest in guitar music despite
his family's disapproval of electric music for religious reasons. His first
album, Anar (2014), originally recorded in Sokoto, Nigeria, in 2008, gained
popularity through mobile phone trading networks across the Sahel. The album
featured autotuned vocals and influences from Hausa music. Moctar's next
release, Afelan (2013), was recorded live in Tchintabaraden...