ALL BACK TO MY PLACE
THE STARS REVEAL THE SONIC DELIGHTS GUARANTEED TO GET THEM GOING...
Fatoumata Diawara
MALI BLUESER
What music are you currently grooving to?
A lot of traditional music, music from my roots, music from my region of Wassoulou. I’m also listening to lots of old songs from Mali. I love listening to the old grooves and the old voices. They really inspire me. Especially the voices of Malian women.
What, if push comes to shove, is your all-time favourite album?
Nina Simone’s
The Very Best Of… I always get inspiration from her.
What was the first record you ever bought? And where did you buy it?
In Mali I couldn’t buy a record because of my background, so the first record I bought was Nina Simone’s best-of when I came to Paris. When I got my freedom, leaving my family to run away and come to Europe, she was the first voice that I heard. She supported me mentally and her music encouraged me to keep my own voice as it is, because when I started to sing I was trying to sing like European people. I’ve been listening to her ever since.