Twenty years ago, Assane Gaye's deep, slightly gravelly voice carried "Thiapali Bonbon" through Dakar's nights. Born in Kaolack, the Senegalese singer earned the nickname "Thione 2" at the time, his tone leaving a mark from the very first bars.
In 2006, he released the album "Ngeum," featuring tracks such as "Thiapeli," "Sunum Rew," "Baye Niass" and "Teylou Len." Four years later, in 2010, he won the Nescafé African Revolution competition, one of the region's most closely followed musical springboards at the time.
What followed played out far from the spotlight. Assane Gaye settled in the Gambia, where he still performs — no longer in the venues that made his name, but in restaurants and private events. Le Soleil, which tracked him down for its "What Have They Become?" series, quotes him: "Soo leen ma namate, xool leen ma ci weer wi" — "If one day you miss me, look for me in the moon."
The video for "Thiapali Bonbon" keeps circulating on social media, often shared by a generation that never saw its release. Twenty years on, it is there, on TikTok and Facebook, that Assane Gaye's voice now reaches its widest audience — wider than the small stages he now plays in the Gambia.
