FATOUMATA DIAWARA

Fatoumata Diawara voice, guitar
Jurandir Da Silva Santana guitar
Fernando Javier Tejero keyboards
Velez Juan Finger electric bass
William Ombe Monkama drums

Fatoumata Diawara is among the most intense, powerful and visionary voices in today's African and international world music scene. Originally from Mali, she is a multifaceted artist, singer, musician, composer, actress and dancer: an overwhelming performer, she tells the story of Africa in its wounds and rebirths and transforms each concert into an intense and participatory collective experience. Her music crosses genres with rare naturalness: afrobeat, jazz, electro, pop and rock intertwine while remaining anchored in mandinka rhythms.
Fatoumata Diawara first made her mark as a dancer in her father's company, where she performed the extraordinary didadi dance. It was the cinema, however, that revealed her to the general public with the film Sia, le rêve du python by Dani Kouyaté in which she played the lead role. Having fled a forced marriage, she toured for six years with the Royal de Luxe theatre company. In 2007, her voice led her to the role of the witch Karaba in the musical based on the animated film Kirikou et la Sorcière by Michel Ocelot. Later, encouraged by Rokia Traoré, she learned to play the guitar and began performing in Parisian bars. Revealed to the general public with her first album Fatou in 2011, Fatoumata Diawara won over critics and audiences alike thanks to her ability to express the intimate through the folk guitar, fusing the wassoulou tradition with western funk influences. He also stands out for his social commitment: in 2013, he brought together forty Malian artists for the Mali Ko project, in response to the crisis his country was going through. In 2018, he published Fenfo - a title that can be translated as “something to say” - sending a vibrant and necessary message. The following year, nominations at the Grammy Awards and the Victoires de la Musique consecrated his rise. The year 2023 marked a major recording comeback with London Ko, an ambitious album embellished with major collaborations, notably with Damon Albarn. This creative bond, which began on the Africa Express stage in 2012 and continued with the Désolé track by Gorillaz in 2020, finds full expression here, testifying to her dedication to musical sharing and cultural diversity.
In January 2026, she made history by becoming the first black woman to sign a signature guitar with Gibson Epiphone. An iconic accolade that celebrates her deep connection to the instrument, her artistic influence and her role as an inspirational figure for new generations of female musicians.
In Bergamo Fatoumata Diawara will present her new album Massa.