Drawing on a rich tradition of griot storytelling and her ancestry, Rokia Koné’s extraordinary music is not to be missed.
One of Mali’s most beloved artists, Rokia Koné’s voice is now being heard far beyond the borders of her native country. Garret ‘Jacknife’ Lee, the Irish producer best known for his work with U2, R.E.M and Taylor Swift, first heard her perform as part of the West African feminist supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique. Captivated, Lee reached out to Rokia Koné, and a partnership of modern music production was born. Koné and Lee never met whilst creating her debut album Bamanan. Instead, overcoming the barriers of geography and language, they collaborated remotely. The result – 10 songs of happiness, joy, pain and fury, all sung in Bambara, Mali’s most widely spoken language.
Sessions that Koné and her band had recorded in Mali and Paris pre-pandemic were sent to Lee, and Lee added production and instrumental parts. The pair also collaborated on a new song, “N’yanyan”, which has a melody based on an ancient Malian song. Affectionately referred to as the “Rose of Bamako”, Koné’s album is, at its core, a homage to Bambara people. The album has earnt Koné wide acclaim. Her voice leaps out of every song, wielded with both grace and power. Hear Rokia Koné accompanied by guitar maestro Salif Koné and master percussionist Yahael Camara Onono at Lakeside Arts for one night only, on Wednesday 23rd October.
