Fatoumata Diawara

A towering figure in contemporary African music, singer/songwriter/guitarist Fatoumata Diawara’s artistry defines her as the voice of West African womanhood. She’s boldly experimental yet proud of her Malian roots, merging the modernity of stinging electric guitar lines with ancient strings, kit drums with the timeless rhythms of traditional percussion. In slow-burning blues and simmering funk, syncopated Afro-pop and gentle lullabies, Diawara’s riveting sound is burnished by her penetrating, redolent singing. “Incendiary” (The New York Times) and “hypnotic” (Rolling Stone), Fatoumata Diawara’s performances “scream with energy” (NPR).