N’famady Kouyaté

Winner of the 2023 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition, N’famady Kouyaté is a dynamic young musician from Guinea (Conakry), who relocated to Cardiff, Wales, in 2019. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, he captivated audiences across the UK and Ireland in 2019/20 with his modern renditions of traditional West African Mandingue songs and rhythms, supporting Gruff Rhys on the Pang! album tour. N’famady’s primary instrument is the balafon—a traditional wooden xylophone central to West African culture and his family's griot/djeli heritage. In Guinea, he founded ‘Les Héritiers du Mandingue,’ a tradi-modern group that toured extensively in West Africa.

In the UK, N’famady performs both solo and with a full band, blending Mandingue African music with western jazz, pop, indie, and funk influences. His ensemble includes balafon, keyboards, drums, djembe, guitar, bass, kora, doundoun, congas, saxophone, trumpet, and calabash. His performances create vibrant atmospheres, enchanting audiences with his infectious enthusiasm.

During the 2020 lockdown, N’famady participated in several online events and played a socially distanced gig at the Butetown Carnival in Cardiff Bay. The summer of 2021 saw his band perform at the Wales Millennium Centre, Llangollen Fringe Festival, and Green Man Festival, where they headlined the Chai Wallah stage.

N’famady released his first EP in July 2021, recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios, featuring guest appearances from Gruff Rhys, Lisa Jên Brown, and Kliph Scurlock. The EP blends traditional Guinean songs with Welsh lyrics and modern instrumentation, performed by a ten-piece band.

In 2022, he embarked on a 20-date UK tour and performed at various festivals. In 2023, N’famady toured the US, including an appearance at South by Southwest, and played at major UK festivals like Latitude and Shrewsbury Folk. Now working on his debut album, set for release in late 2024, N’famady continues to rise as a star in the music scene.