A TMC Arts Program The Music Center's Summer SoundWaves: Oumou Sangaré

Since the release of her debut album Moussoulou in 1989, there has been no respite for the Malian singer Oumou Sangaré. Notable waymarks on her rich and fruitful journey include some of the most definitive recordings in the history of contemporary African music, all released on the World Circuit label: Ko Sira in 1993, Worotan in 1996 and Seya in 2009 (the latter nominated for a Grammy^® in the Best World Music Album category). Sangaré won a Grammy^® in 2011 for Imagine in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals category, alongside Herbie Hancock, Pink, India Arie, Seal, Konono Nº1 and Jeff Beck. Timbuktu, the first release on her own Oumsang label, is the latest act in this unparalleled musical epic. It consecrates an artist who rose from the poor neighborhoods of Bamako to become a global superstar and universally admired feminist icon. With the powerful aura of a Grace Jones and a Black transgressive icon par excellence, Sangaré has long since broken through the barriers that separate continents and musical styles.