Mamani Keita

Born in Bamako in 1965, Mamani Keïta has developed a career situated between Malian vocal traditions and more contemporary forms, with singing in Bambara at the heart of her musical identity. First heard as a backing singer with Salif Keita, she later turned to a personal project blending Manding music, urban arrangements and electronic or acoustic textures depending on the project. Her collaboration with Marc Minelli resulted in Electro Bamako in 2002, an album that combines West African rhythms with electro-jazz production. Mamani Keïta continued in a more expansive vein with Nicolas Repac on Yelema (2006) and Gagner l’Argent Français (2011), two records where her voice moves between chanson, spoken word, African groove and hybrid atmospheres. In 2014, Kanou extended this trajectory with a more organic approach. Mamani Keïta also appears on four tracks of the soundtrack for the film Kirikou et les bêtes sauvages (2005). Between African stages, world circuits and French collaborations, Mamani Keïta has built a repertoire that brings together Malian heritage, contemporary writing and cross-disciplinary formats.