As earlybird tickets go on sale for Womad 2015, the festival has revealed a sneak peek at the line-up, announcing two grand international stars: effervescent balladeer Rufus Wainwright and lifelong star of world music Youssou N'Dour.
One of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation, Wainwright blew the audience away with his last New Zealand show at the Civic in 2012, not long after he released Out of the Game, a fantastic collection of swinging tunes produced by Mark Ronson and featuring members of the Dap Kings and Wilco.
Wainwright's repertoire is much wider than classic danceable pop, however - he's written operas, set Shakespeare's sonnets to music, performed a Judy Garland tribute, and written affecting songs in dedication of his late mother, Kate McGarrigle, as well as numbers inspired by the conflicted relationship he has with his father Loudon Wainwright.
It will be Wainwright's first performance at a Womad festival, but his theatrical yet emotionally resonant style will be a perfect fit.
And Youssou N'Dour has been a pivotal figure in bringing world music to the mainstream, being revered among western musicians, and having collaborated with a galaxy of stars: Peter Gabriel, Sting, Neneh Cherry, Wyclef Jean, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen among them. His recent performance at Womad UK was heralded as "everything Womad should be: exciting, surprising and engaging. Brilliant", which is unsurprising given that the man has been a mesmerising beacon within African music for 30 years.
