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Fatoumata Diawara with her new Epiphone SG.
Fatoumata Diawara broke through with Fenfo (2018), receiving two GRAMMY® nominations, one for “Best World Music Album” and another for the single “Ultimatum” with the UK electronic duo Disclosure for “Best Dance Recording.” Born in Côte d’Ivoire in 1982 to Malian parents, she moved to Bamako as a child and grew up in a large family, where resilience and a passion for dance became her lifelines. Film opened the first door: early roles in Taafé Fanga and Cheick Oumar Sissoko’s La Genèse, which was awarded at Cannes in 1999 and led to her acclaimed turn as Sia in Dani Kouyaté’s Sia, le Rêve du Python. As a young woman, she left Mali to avoid a forced marriage and found both refuge and a stage in France—debuting in Antigone at Paris’s Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord and touring worldwide for six years with the renowned Royal de Luxe company.
Paris has left a lasting mark on Diawara’s artistry. Immersed in the city’s cosmopolitan scene and cross-cultural collaborations, she has refined a sound that pairs electronic textures with kora and n’goni, Mandinka rhythms, and her griotic vocal power—sleek, urban, and unmistakably her own. Her debut album Fatou (2011) earned international praise and opened doors to projects with Herbie Hancock, Bobby Womack, Roberto Fonseca, Angie Stone, Yemi Alade, and M.anifest. In 2020, she was nominated for a Victoires de la Musique and Awards d’Afrique Best Female Artist. Fatoumata expanded her Afrofuturist vision on her most recent album release titled London Ko (2023). She continued to push forward on London Ko, co-produced with -M- (Mathieu Chedid) and featuring six tracks with Damon Albarn, complemented by bold visuals from Ethiopian artist Aida Muluneh (whose work has shown at MoMA). Diawara’s next studio album is slated for release later in 2026—catch her on tour in the following cities below and on FATOUMATADIAWARA.COM.
Fatoumata Diawara 2026 Tour:
Fri, APR 10 --Chorus Festival--Boulogne-billancourt, France
Sat, APR 11--Cabaret Botanique - Parc du Thabor--Rennes, France
Thu, APR 23--Sentrum Scene--Oslo, Norway
Fri, APR 24--UKK - Sal D – Ståplats--Uppsala, Sweden
Tue, MAY 5--Espace Culturel Le Champilambart--Vallet, France
Wed, MAY 6--La Sirene--La Rochelle, France
Thu, MAY 7, 2026--Adem Florida--Agen, France
Thu, MAY 21--Theatre de Corbeil-Essonnes - Salle JARRY--Corbeil-essonnes, France
Fri, JUN 12--Festival 2 Rivières--La Ferté-sous-jouarre, France
Sun, JUL 5--Gent Jazz Festival--Gent, Belgium
Mon, JUL 6--Jazz à Vienne 2026--Vienne, France
Thu, JUL 16--Théâtre Antique--Arles, France
Fri, JUL 24--Multi-lieux:Port–Crédit Mutuel, Estuaire, Théâtre de Verdure-Club 360-Saint-Nazaire, FR
Sat, JUL 25--Multi-lieux:Port–Crédit Mutuel, Estuaire, Théâtre de Verdure-Club 360-Saint-Nazaire, FR
Wed, NOV 18—Roundhouse--London, United Kingdom
Sun, NOV 22--Festsaal Kreuzberg--Berlin, Germany
Tue, NOV 24--Ancienne Belgique--Bruxelles, Belgium
Wed, NOV 25--L’Olympia--Paris, France
Fri, NOV 27—Paradiso--Amsterdam, Netherlands
Check out more photos of the Epiphone Fatoumata Diawara SG:
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