Oumou Sangare

Oumou Sangare

Oumou Sangare is a Malian wassoulou musician from Bamako, and her work is also described as African blues. She is sometimes called “The Songbird of Wassoulou”. Her music draws on wassoulou, a style that descends from traditional hunting songs and is accompanied by a calabash.

Career

Sangare’s songs often focus on love and marriage, with a particular emphasis on freedom of choice in marriage. She writes most of her own lyrics and also performs classics from Malian tradition. She says she draws inspiration from social life and writes down what she sees or feels, with the aim of saying what she thinks as a free woman. She also describes her songs as joyful while carrying messages meant to educate her nation.

Her album Moussoulou appears in 1989 and becomes an unprecedented West African hit. She then releases Ko Sira in 1993, Worotan in 1996, and the 2-CD compilation Oumou in 2004, all on Nonesuch Records. Seya follows in 2009. She says she chooses her songs carefully and learns how to present them on stage before recording them.

Touring and labels

In 1995, Sangare tours with Baaba Maal, Femi Kuti and Boukman Eksperyans. Her label credit is Oumou Sangaré Pub Designee.