Fatoumata Diawara

Born and raised in Mali, Fatoumata Diawara moved to France as a teenager to pursue acting and found success fairly quickly with leading roles in French films and musicals. Soon after developing her acting career, Diawara picked up a guitar and started blending traditional Wassoulou music--which is often credited as the style of music that was the foundation for American blues--with more modern influences and sultry vocals. Her neo-traditional sound led her to collaborations with renowned world artists like AfroCubism, Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou and Dee Dee Bridgewater, but it was her own solo material that garnered critical acclaim starting with her 2011 debut, Fatou.