Salif Sanou, aka Lasso, was born into a griot family in the Boaba village of Konkuy-Boho, in the Kossi province of northwest Burkina Faso. Having been a griot from father to son for several generations, he grew up in a world where music and the spoken word were at the very core of his existence.

He discovered his talent for several traditional instruments and for singing at an early age. Initially introduced to percussion with the balafon, doum-doums, claw tam-tam, tamani, bara and djembe, he continued his talent discovery with the kambélé n’goni in 1999. From then on, Salif was nicknamed Lasso, which became his artist name.

In 2004, Lasso discovered an incredible passion and skill for the peule flute (Mandingo flute or speaking flute), with his cousin and master Dramane Dembélé. He quickly became one of the most gifted flutists, and some of his friends even called him “Las flûte”. After several years playing with renowned artists in Burkina Faso, Lasso arrived in Quebec in 2009.

He performed at a number of events, including the opening of the Olympic Games in Nanaimo (Vancouver), the Festival de la Musique de Québec, the soirée bénéfice jeunes musiciens du monde and the Fête nationale du Québec.