Senegalese singer and multi-instrumentalist Cheikh Ibra Fam has released “Xam Xam,” the lead single from his upcoming album Adouna (Life), due this October via Cumbancha. The title translates from Wolof as “knowledge,” and the track approaches the concept as lived experience, shaped by memory, inheritance and musical continuity.

The song reflects Fam’s wide musical reach, combining the rhythmic sway of Caribbean zouk and Angolan kizomba with traditional West African instrumentation. Kora and guitar work sit at the centre of the arrangement, offering an airy, melodic structure that avoids overproduction. The result is balanced: personal without sentimentality, polished without losing texture.

“Xam Xam” also marks a return to roots. The track features Fam’s uncle, guitarist Coly Cissé — a former collaborator of Youssou N’Dour — whose playing contributes both musical weight and familial connection. Kora player Ansoumane and trumpeter Jacob Edgar round out the ensemble, with production by Hakim Abdulsamad.

The accompanying video, filmed in St. Louis, Senegal, keeps to the same tone: everyday moments framed through generational exchange, without narrative excess.

“Xam Xam” sets the thematic direction for the upcoming Adouna: a focus on migration, spiritual reflection and the search for meaning, carried by a sound that draws from multiple geographies while remaining anchored in West African sensibility.

You can stream and listen to the single HERE