Oumou Sangaré

Born in Bamako in 1968, Oumou Sangaré is rooted in the wassoulou tradition, the music of southern Mali which she has carried into a contemporary form blending voice, calabash, percussion, guitars and female choirs. The daughter of singer Aminata Diakité, she sang from a very young age and toured as a teenager with Djoliba Percussions before releasing Moussolou in 1990, the record that established her first in Mali and then on the international stage. Her career continued with Ko Sira (1993), Worotan (1996), Oumou (2003) and Seya (2009), in an aesthetic where traditional Wassoulou rhythms converse with broader arrangements without losing their local roots. Oumou Sangaré’s lyrics frequently address the condition of women, forced marriage and polygamy — themes that have been central to her repertoire since the beginning. Active on African, European and North American stages, she has also collaborated with Herbie Hancock and Tony Allen. With Mogoya (2017), Acoustic (2020) and Timbuktu (2022), Oumou Sangaré continues a body of work that links Malian heritage, personal songwriting and openness to different production formats.