Awa Sangho

Multi-talented Malian singer/songwriter Awa Sangho is a charismatic new solo star on the world music scene. After singing with Salif Keita, Ali Farka Toure, Oumou Sangare, Manu Dibango, Amadou & Mariam and the pioneering all-girl group Les Go De Koteba she co-founded, Awa left Bamako in 2011 to move to New York City to commit to her own creative life. The beautiful original songs on Ala Ta (The Truth Belongs to God), her masterful debut on Motéma Music, represent her “Afropolitan” experience of leaving Africa but never leaving it behind.

Born in the desert land of Mali, Awa was raised in Dire, a community in the southern edge of the Sahara about 70 kilometers south of Timbuktu, a region noted for generating world-class musicians and singers. Her earliest memories are of a childhood in which song and dance was her response to life observations and the best way to share stories. Ala Ta draws upon these rich life experiences and realizes her long-held goal of presenting her personal musical vision as a cultural ambassador to the world.

Unique, Socially Conscious Artist. Known for a stunning voice and high-energy shows featuring her drumming and dancing, Awa is a unique and original artist dedicated to equality for women, security for children and unity of all Africans everywhere. Her socially conscious lyrics address controversial cultural traditions, her hopes for mothers and their children, and her reverence for the people who have forged her path. The music percolates with the rhythms and resonance of Africa – of Mali but also of the Ivory Coast and Senegal, countries she has also called home, and of Guinea, land of her early mentor, the recently departed Soulemane Koly from the legendary Ensemble Koteba. Her childhood learning, to express life through performance, has matured into a beautiful blend of poetry, music and dance she offers to us.