Desert blues pioneers Tinariwen are back with a brand-new single, “Amidinim Ehaf Solan.” The legendary Tuareg collective continues to refine their hypnotic blend of rolling guitar grooves, trance-like rhythms, and politically rooted songwriting that has made them one of the most influential world music acts of the last two decades.
“Amidinim Ehaf Solan” carries the unmistakable Tinariwen sound — dusty electric guitar lines, call-and-response vocals, and a rhythmic pulse that feels like it’s drifting across the Sahara at sunset. It’s another reminder of why the band remains a cornerstone of modern desert blues.
Tuareg musical pioneers and Grammy Award–winners Tinariwen share a new song today, “Amidinim Ehaf Solan”, the third and final single from their forthcoming tenth studio album, Hoggar, out next week, Friday March 13 via the band’s own label Wedge.
The new song was written by band member Touhami Ag Alhassane, with poignant lyrics of optimism despite the disheartening political situation in Mali: “My friend, I beg of you, go gently. We still have a country, albeit thirsty and in pain, but it will turn green again and grow new branches. There will be shade again, and beneath it we’ll take our rest. An old woman and a boy came by here to implore you to come together and unite, all of you, without exception.” Listen/share “Amidinim Ehaf Solan” here,
Pre-save Hoggar here.
On the album and more than 45 years into their storied career, the band return to the foundations of their sound. Fierce advocates for their people’s nomadic culture that exists in the desert borderlands between Mali and Algeria, Tinariwen’s bluesy, guitar-driven music has found global acclaim over the past two decades for its lively blend of Tamasheq-language politicism, syncopated rhythms and soaring melody.
Tinariwen previously shared two singles, “Imidiwan Takyadam”, featuring longtime fan and celebrated singer/songwriter Jose Gonzalez, and “Sagherat Assani,” a traditional Sudanese song featuring soulful, melismatic vocals from Sudanese artist Sulafa Elyas. The track drew attention from NPR, Stereogum, Consequence and more. On release longtime collaborator and producer Patrick Votan noted, “The female voice is very important in traditional Tuareg music but it is increasingly hard to find female singers today owing to restrictions placed on them being allowed to sing and train. We were lucky to find singers like Sulafa as well as Wonou Walet Sidati, who used to record and tour with Tinariwen in the past, and Nounou Kaola, who also feature on this album.”
This April, Tinariwen will embark on a worldwide tour. While North America has long been an integral part of their live schedule, the routing for this leg does not include U.S. or Canadian due to the current travel ban in the United States. All current dates are listed below.
While previous records like 2023’s Amatssou saw the group collaborate with Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson producer Daniel Lanois, on Hoggar the band looked closer to home. Gathering with the local Tuareg musical community every day for a month, founding members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, Abdallah Ag Alhousseyni and Touhami Ag Alhassane began penning songs of political unrest alongside younger artists like Imarhan’s Iyad Moussa Ben Abderrahmane, Hicham Bouhasse and Haiballah Akhamouk. The group also linked up with Sanou Ag Hamed, from the Tuareg band Terakaft, as well as collaborating with Tinariwen co-founder Liya ag Ablil, AKA Diarra, for the first time in 25 years. What emerged was a sense of reunion as well as an evolution of the Tinariwen sound.
Hoggar delivers 11 tracks of yearning emotion, intricate melodies, and the choral warmth of collective voices in powerful harmony. The album also marks several remarkable firsts: Tinariwen lead vocalists Ibrahim and Abdallah sing together for the first time in over 30 years, breaking from the tradition of each songwriter performing only their own compositions, and longtime fan José González makes a special guest appearance. Lyrically, Hoggar explores urgent and timely themes, addressing social and political challenges facing the Tuareg people and northern Mali. Tinariwen continue their long tradition of bearing witness through music, balancing the joy of their celebrated live shows with reflections on community struggles, resilience, and cultural preservation.
Ultimately, with Hoggar Tinariwen stand proud as cultural signifiers, much like the Tuareg mountainscape that erupts from the Central Saharan desert and that gives the record its title. A defiant marker of presence visible for miles, the Hoggar mountains are a symbol of a homeland for displaced people, while Tinariwen’s music continues to make space for future generations of their song.
Tinariwen World Tour
4/10 — Le Tube — Seignosse, FR
4/13 — Casa da Música — Porto, PT
4/14 — Lisboa Ao Vivo — Lisbon, PT
4/16 — Sala But — Madrid, ES
4/17 — La Paloma — Barcelona, ES (sold out)
4/18 — Paloma — Nîmes, FR
4/20 — Alcatraz — Milan, IT
4/21 — Auditorium Parco della Musica — Rome, IT
4/22 — Hall — Padua, IT
4/24 — Palác Akropolis — Prague, CZ
4/25 — Arena — Vienna, AT
4/26 — Akvárium Klub — Budapest, HU
4/28 — Klub Studio — Krakow, PL
4/29 — Progresja — Warsaw, PL
4/30 — Huxley’s Neue Welt — Berlin, DE
2/5 — Cheltenham Jazz Festival, UK
5/5 — Ancienne Belgique — Brussels, BE
5/7 — Tivoli, Vredenburg — Utrecht, NL
5/8 — Cirque d’Hiver — Paris, FR (sold out)
5/9 — Cirque d’Hiver — Paris, FR
5/11 — Le MeM — Rennes, FR
5/12 — Le Bikini — Toulouse, FR
5/13 — Rocher de Palmer — Bordeaux, FR
5/15 — Hall 3, NDK — Sofia, BG
5/16 — Floyd — Athens, GR
5/18 — O2 Forum Kentish Town — London, UK
5/19 — The Glasshouse — Gateshead, UK
5/21 — Assembly Rooms — Edinburgh, UK
5/22 — O2 Ritz — Manchester, UK
5/24 — Electric Bristol — Bristol, UK
5/25 — 3Olympia Theatre — Dublin, IE
5/27 — DR Koncerthuset — Copenhagen, DK
5/28 — Rockefeller — Oslo, NO
5/29 – Pustervik – Gothenburg , SE
5/30 – Borsen Live — Stockholm, SE
