Fatoumata Diawara

Fatou

About this Album

Singer/songwriter Fatoumata Diawara’s debut album, Fatou, will be released in North America by World Circuit / Nonesuch Records on August 28, 2012. Diawara, who was raised in Mali and now lives in Paris, has been receiving rave reviews since the album’s release in the UK and Europe last year. The Telegraph calls her “the most beguiling talent to hit the world music scene in some time” and says “this stylish debut doesn’t put a foot wrong,” while the Times of London says “the air of wistful, understated beauty draws you in,” and Mojo calls her a “spell-weaving new voice.” The album was #1 on the European world music chart for six months. Watch the official video for the album track "Bissa" below.

Diawara fought her parents’ opposition to her artistic career, and her culture’s attitudes toward women, to act in theater and film before beginning her musical career. She sang backup for, among others, fellow Malian and labelmate Oumou Sangare before striking out on her own.

Diawara uses elements of jazz, pop, and funk along with her ancestral Wassoulou tradition in her songwriting and arrangements, accompanying her voice with rhythmical guitar playing and her own percussion work. Her lyrics touch on such serious and personal subjects as female circumcision, a woman’s right to choose her spouse, and the songwriter’s own painful experience with the African practice of being raised away from her parents.

John Paul Jones (bass), Toumani Diabate (kora), and Tony Allen (drums) all make guest appearances on Fatou. Damon Albarn and Herbie Hancock also have shown their appreciation for Diawara’s music; she has performed with Africa Express, AfroCubism, and Hancock’s Imagine project. In addition to her own constant global touring, Diawara performed as part of Albarn’s new project Rocket Juice and the Moon this past fall. (Albarn’s super-group features himself, Tony Allen, and Flea.) Diawara played a main role in the live shows and is featured on several tracks on the studio album of the same name. She also recorded a track with soul veteran Bobby Womack for his album The Bravest Man in the Universe.