Given the large personnel of the band, is there a single Tal National Sound? Or does it change a little depending on who’s playing?

There are 1296 different line up combinations for Tal National, and they all have the Tal National sound. The singers have unique voices, and the musicians have their own style, but everybody plays the sound that the band has become so well known for.

Are the ones on the record the real core of the band, and do they play on all the tracks?

Everybody that performs with Tal National also records with Tal National. We make sure that even the newest members get to record on at least one track.

Your music has more of a rock edge than many African bands. It’s faster paced and a bit wilder. What do you feel Jamie Carter has contributed to your sound with his engineering and production?

Jamie Carter, our producer, was able to capture Tal National playing as Tal National. In Niamey, there are recording studios, but they can only record one instrument at a time. Jamie was able to bring equipment that allowed us to all record at the same time, and I think this helped to document the energy of the band. When we play we have a lot of different musical cues that indicate changes, and there is a playfulness in the musicianship that we are able to inspire and push each other in our performances. I think that comes through in the recordings.

Almeida, with your jobs you must be very busy. How do you find time for the band alongside everything else – and when do you find time to sleep?

For the last 10 years I've slept on average 4 or 5 hours a night. Ever since I was in school I organized my time very seriously. I don't have time to visit some friends in Niger, some time my wife and my children do it for me through gifts on my behalf.

At my job they have enough tolerance to work around my schedule because they like my music and they can understand my reasons for promoting Tal National. We have worked out a schedule where I make judgments on Mondays and Fridays, and the other days I can just come for an hour to sign or to check on my workers. The rest of time is for the band managing.

During Ramadan I can take my holiday and get rest; no performing for my band, but the managing always continues.

You’ve established yourselves as Niger’s top band. Your recordings are far better than other bands from your country. Do you think that sound quality has made a difference?

Yes quality makes a difference. Our music is played a lot of television and at restaurants and clubs. When it is played like this, it is played alongside music from all over the world. When a Tal National song comes on the people of Niger can be proud that a Nigerien band can sound just as good as bands from other parts of the world.

When we make records with Jamie, we emphasize the sound we want, and why it is important. It is important to have the vocals be clear, with reverb and sometimes the autotune effect (which is very popular in Niger), but we also want to have a lot of bass frequencies so people can enjoy it when they are driving and when they are dancing.

Genres don't exist in Niger like they do in other parts of the world. Although Tal National might be a band, we are held to the same standards as any pop singer or group, so having high quality recordings is a way to reinforce our popularity and represent our culture on a world stage.

How do you think the band has developed since it was formed?

The band developed very quickly. It had developed 2 bands before Tal National, so people weren't surprised with how fast it came together. Tal National is my creation I choose musicians and I choose the kind of music we'll play.

How is the sound of this new album different from the ones that went before?

Sonically I think Kaani is similar to A-na Waya. They were both recorded in the same studio, using similar equipment. I think the musicianship and the songwriting really improved between the two albums. A-na Waya made us a much more popular band in Niger, and we had more performance opportunities because of that. That helped our musicianship improve.

We recorded A-na Waya in 3 days, it was a fast process and was new to us all. With Kaani, thanks to a Kickstarter campaign, Jamie was able to spend 3 weeks in Niamey, and most of that time was spent with us in the studio. The days were more relaxed, we were able to write some new songs in the studio, and make sure our takes were how we wanted them, without being rushed.

For both albums, we recorded about twice as many songs as what end up appearing on the albums. That enables us to be more free and try different things, because if it doesn't work out, we can always replace it with another song.

Have the same members been in Tal National since it began?

There are only 3 original members in Tal National, including myself. When you play in Tal National you become a good musician and then other bands will try to entice you with more money to join their band and help them promote their band through your previous association with Tal National. It doesn't work, and people usually regret the decision to leave the band!

It can’t be easy to make a living as a musician there. I know you play many gigs, and play for several hours each night. Tell me what being a musician there is like.

Being a musician in Niger is not easy. A lot of musicians either dropped out of school, or weren't able to go to school in the first place. So being a musician is all they know, they don't make much money but they enjoy the social aspect of it and it is a good way to make friends.

Tal National is able to make money because of how frequently we perform and the good organization of the band.

Another hardship we face in Niger is religion. For Islam, a musician is Haram, so some people don't accept our gifts because the money is coming from art.

You’re going to be touring America. What do you expect there and what do you feel it can do for the band?

In America we hope to make Niger music very famous like Senegal music, Mali music ect. We also hope for Nigeriens living in America to bring their American friends so they can share a part of their culture. Playing in America is a label for a band here, and brings a certain status. Also we are looking forward to the economic opportunities it will provide and hopefully we can return home with some money for our families, so we can help to build a good future in Niger.

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