Singer Oumou Sangaré has been treating us to wonderful videos for each new single from Mogoya, her first album in eight years. Following ‘Kamelemba’ and ‘Yere Faga’, the Malian diva has shared a video for new single ‘Fadjamou’, which translates to ‘family name’. Centred around the importance of family in Malian culture, the track’s theme is reflected on the video. Watch it below.

With recent festival appearances at Glastonbury and Citadel, Oumou’s upcoming dates will see her gracing stages at WOMAD and Shambala this summer and at Utrecht’s Le Guess Who? in November.

Mogoya is out now via Nø Førmat!.

Fresh off the release of her long-awaited new album Mogoya, Malian diva Oumou Sangaré is offering a new single, ‘Kamelemba’, and an accompanying video featuring an all-female cast of dancers from The Swaggers Dance Crew. Here’s how Oumou described ‘Kamelemba’:

“It’s about men who show off, who bring women down, about women who fall badly in love. I wrote this song to give advice to our sisters to be careful, because there are loads of kamelemba out there”.

In addition to the previously announced string of festival 
appearances in the UK, including Glastonbury, Citadel and Shambala, Oumou will also be performing in November at Utrecht’s Le Guess Who Festival.

Now watch the video for ‘Kamelemba’.

Mogoya is out now via Nø Førmat!.

Last month we heard the warm and glowing ‘Yere Faga’, the first single lifted from Oumou Sangaré‘s long-awaited new album Mogoya. Now the Malian diva has unveiled a video to accompany the song, directed by Chris Saunders. The effort was shot in Johannesburg’s Hillbrow area and it features dancer Maipelo Gabang. “Oumou’s powerful Wassoulou lyrics needed to be translated through the movement in the video – to reflect her message of never giving up, of finding mechanisms to succeed”, explains Saunders. “The video is a story of an empowered young African woman, one comparable to the great Oumou herself”.

Preceding the album’s release on May 19th via Nø Førmat!, the video comes paired with the Yere Faga Remix EP out today with mixes by Natureboy Flako, Marimba, Malik Djoudi and Ghetto Vanessa.

Watch the video for ‘Yere Faga’ below, featuring Tony Allen on drumming duties.

Oumou’s originally scheduled show in London’s Scala on May 16th has now moved to Village Underground on May 17th. Oumou has also announced a string of festival appearances this summer including Citadel, WOMAD and Shambala.

Singer Oumou Sangaré, the diva of Mali as she’s often referred to, has announced the release of a new album. Entitled Mogoya, which translates as ‘People Today’, Oumou’s upcoming record is also her first new material in eight years and it arrives on May 19th via Nø Førmat!. Mogoya sees Oumou collaborating with Fela Kuti drummer and Afrobeat founder Tony Allen, and enlisting Andreas Unge and French collective A.l.b.e.r.t for production duties. Whilst still rooted in the continuity of Malian tradition, Mogoya has a strong new sound as the press release described. “We wanted to emphasise the raw power of Oumou’s voice and songs”, explained co-producer Ludovic Bruni, of A.l.b.e.r.t.. “We wanted to find a new modernity”. On the album, traditional African instruments camel n’toni (harp), karignan (metal scraper) and calabash percussion are paired with electric guitar, bass, keyboards and synths. In Oumou’s own words, “this time round I wanted to go for more of a modern sound, to satisfy young people in Mali but being careful, all the while, to respect my culture and tradition”.
The long-awaited news also come with the first taste from the album, ‘Yere Faga’, a warm and glowing song about human relationships. Take a listen now.

In other related news, and in support of the album, Oumou Sangaré will be gracing London with a show in Scala on May 16th. Tickets are now on sale.