Seya

Singer and songwriter Oumou Sangare is a genuine superstar in her native Mali, and a charismatic performer who has thrilled audiences around the world with her exhilarating live performances. Her 1990 debut disc Moussolou ("Women") - released on CD by Nonesuch in 1999 - was a sensation in her homeland, as inspiring to many as it was controversial to some. In the lyrics to her songs, Sangare takes up the causes of her fellow Malian women, frankly exploring their problems and unabashedly articulating their desires; the outspokenness of her words are as liberating as her music, which combines traditional instrumentation and rhythms with a sophisticated, funk-driven, contemporary groove.