Fatoumata Diawara is a dynamic and vital flag-bearer for African music on the global stage. Raised in Bamako, Mali, she took her first steps in music after moving to Paris as a young adult. An immediate revelation, Diawara’s conscious blend of international influences with her Wassoulou traditions made her one of the most talked-about African artists on the planet upon the release of her 2011 debut, Fatou.
Dubbed the first female electric guitar player from Mali, Diawara’s music toes the line between boldly experimental soundscapes and deep respect for tradition. Fatou was released on World Circuit following a recommendation from the Malian icon Oumou Sangaré, who recognised the power of her voice. It established her as an ambassador for young African womanhood and featured Sangaré as well as beats from the great Tony Allen and the mystical kora strings of Toumani Diabaté.
Her second album, 2018’s Fenfo, arranged original, vibrant compositions on the gamut of African styles, featuring slow-burning blues, simmering funk, Afro-pop, hypnotic groove, trance elements and intimate, haunting melodies. It signalled the arrival of a modern-day storyteller, a communicator of timeless subjects like family, love, children and humility in the great tradition of the West African griots, sung mostly in Bambara, the native Malian language.
A collaborator of Herbie Hancock, Snarky Puppy, Bobby Womack, Damon Albarn, Paul McCartney and Disclosure to name just a few, Fatoumata is an explorer and a proponent of borderless exchange, believing music to be a powerful uniting force. She matches this drive and optimism in her work as an activist, campaigning against the trafficking of Black migrants in Libya and for women’s rights in fundamentalist societies.
Her latest release, “Ambé,” brings together an all-star cast of female musicians including Angelique Kidjo, Dianne Reeves, China Moses, Terri Lyne Carrington and more. The track title means “altogether” and emphasizes the importance of harmony and solidarity during difficult times. Experience it here.
Qwest TV is honored to present Fatoumata as its latest Guest Curator. Her selection reflects the richness and breadth of her own soundscape, featuring her compatriots, the great Cheik Tidiane Seck, the legendary Nahawa Doumbia, Ali Farka Touré and Bassekou Kouyaté alongside the Cuban musician Roberto Fonseca, the blues legends Jimmy Witherspoon and Chuck Berry and another of her collaborators, the timeless Dee Dee Bridgewater.
Rowan Standish Hayes
