AFRICA EXPRESS’ NEW STUDIO ALBUM
AFRICA EXPRESS PRESENTS… BAHIDORÁ
OUT NOW VIA WORLD CIRCUIT RECORDS

VIDEO FOR “DORHAN OULLHIN”
(“WHAT THE HEART DESIRES”) DEBUTS TODAY

FEATURED ARTISTS INCLUDE (artist bios HERE):

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 …

“A continuous breath of fresh air on the global music industry, Africa Express is a collective who keep community and artfulness at the core.”—Wonderland

July 11, 2025—The new studio album from globally acclaimed music phenomenon Africa Express is out now digitally via World Circuit Records, with a physical release on CD and vinyl to follow next week on July 18. Listen and pre-order CD/vinyl HERE.

Africa Express presents... Bahidorá was recorded in Mexico last year and features six lead singles featuring Latin pop with soulful vocals over a reggaeton beat on “Mi Lado,” the fast and furious “Kuduro,” a stunning cinematic duet “Soledad” sung in Spanish by Damon Albarn and Luisa Almaguer, the cool laid back slice of hip-hop on “Otim Hop,” the powerful and haunting mystical hymn to the ancestors and ancient on “Invocation,” and Mexican singer-songwriter Luisa Almaguer singing once again on “Hacernos Asi,” a passionate and deeply personal meditation on being transgender in a hostile world.

In celebration of the release the group is debuting a new video for the track “Dorhan Oullhin” (“What the Heart Desires”) featuring Imarhan & Damon Albarn; stream/share it 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.

“Africa Express is transformational.”—Camilo Lara, Mexican Institute of Sound

“One of the best musical experiences of my life… Africa Express is the greatest gift.” —Nick Zinner (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

“In Africa Express I found the spirit of a family, a magical exchange and shared experience with special artists.”—Baba Sissoko

“The Africa Express family… We love each other and we always experiment with new music, something that you never normally get to create. I love those challenges, to challenge myself, working with other people, you always learn from those experiences. You learn a lot.” —Fatoumata Diawara

“Africa Express has been and will be one of the highlights of my life. It’s truly impossible to relate just how much gratitude I have to be included. AE is a template of what’s possible in the world.”—Joan As Police Woman

“Luisa Almaguer possesses one of the most unique and enchanting voices I have ever heard.” —Damon Albarn

An album like no other, Africa Express presents... Bahidorá is a 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 have been on the road this month for a run of live shows across Europe which took in Roskilde, Budapest, Rome, Hamburg, a headline slot at Pohoda Festival in Slovakia and a final performance at Barcelona’s Cruïlla Festival tonight.

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.

TRACK LIST AFRICA EXPRESS PRESENTS… BAHIDORÁ
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

TOUR DATES
July 11 /// Barcelona, ES /// Cruïlla Festival

www.africaexpress.co.uk

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