Raised with the Wassoulou song style considered one of the main ancestors of American blues, Malian singer, songwriter, and actress Fatoumata Diawara is "one of the most dynamic voices in Afropop" (PopMatters), mixing African traditions with high-energy doses of funk. She performs music from her career including tracks from her latest release, Maliba.
Diawara first gained notice as an actress at age 17 with a major role in acclaimed Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko's 1999 film La Genèse, and as a member of Paris' iconic Royal de Luxe street theater company, she began singing backstage to pass the time between scenes. A chance meeting with musician and arranger Cheick Tidiane Seck led the young vocalist to contribute to Dee Dee Bridgewater's Red Earth and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré's GRAMMY-nominated Seya. So began Diawara's rapid ascent as one of the brightest lights in African music.
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Hailed as one of the most vital standard-bearers of modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara takes her artistry to fresh and thrilling heights on her new album Fenfo. Boldly experimental yet respectful of her roots, it's a record that defines her as the voice of young African womanhood - proud of her heritage but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal.
show less
Diawara first gained notice as an actress at age 17 with a major role in acclaimed Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko's 1999 film La Genèse, and as a member of Paris' iconic Royal de Luxe street theater company, she began singing backstage to pass the time between scenes. A chance meeting with musician and arranger Cheick Tidiane Seck led the young vocalist to contribute to Dee Dee Bridgewater's Red Earth and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré's GRAMMY-nominated Seya. So began Diawara's rapid ascent as one of the brightest lights in African music.
~~~~~~~~
Hailed as one of the most vital standard-bearers of modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara takes her artistry to fresh and thrilling heights on her new album Fenfo. Boldly experimental yet respectful of her roots, it's a record that defines her as the voice of young African womanhood - proud of her heritage but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal.
Raised with the Wassoulou song style considered one of the main ancestors of American blues, Malian singer, songwriter, and actress Fatoumata Diawara is "one of the most dynamic voices in Afropop" (PopMatters), mixing African traditions with high-energy doses of funk. She performs music from her career including tracks from her latest release, Maliba.
Diawara first gained notice as an actress at age 17 with a major role in acclaimed Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko's 1999 film La Genèse, and as a member of Paris' iconic Royal de Luxe street theater company, she began singing backstage to pass the time between scenes. A chance meeting with musician and arranger Cheick Tidiane Seck led the young vocalist to contribute to Dee Dee Bridgewater's Red Earth and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré's GRAMMY-nominated Seya. So began Diawara's rapid ascent as one of the brightest lights in African music.
~~~~~~~~
Hailed as one of the most vital standard-bearers of modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara takes her artistry to fresh and thrilling heights on her new album Fenfo. Boldly experimental yet respectful of her roots, it's a record that defines her as the voice of young African womanhood - proud of her heritage but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal.
read more
Diawara first gained notice as an actress at age 17 with a major role in acclaimed Malian director Cheick Oumar Sissoko's 1999 film La Genèse, and as a member of Paris' iconic Royal de Luxe street theater company, she began singing backstage to pass the time between scenes. A chance meeting with musician and arranger Cheick Tidiane Seck led the young vocalist to contribute to Dee Dee Bridgewater's Red Earth and Malian superstar Oumou Sangaré's GRAMMY-nominated Seya. So began Diawara's rapid ascent as one of the brightest lights in African music.
~~~~~~~~
Hailed as one of the most vital standard-bearers of modern African music, Fatoumata Diawara takes her artistry to fresh and thrilling heights on her new album Fenfo. Boldly experimental yet respectful of her roots, it's a record that defines her as the voice of young African womanhood - proud of her heritage but with a vision that looks confidently to the future and a message that is universal.
show less
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