Oumou Sangaré

Oumou Sangaré (born 25 February 1968 in Bamako) is a Malian Wassoulou musician, sometimes referred to as "The Songbird of Wassoulou". Wassoulou is a historical region south of the Niger River, where the music descends from age-old traditional song, often accompanied by a calabash. She is a cousin of actor Omar Sangare and the aunt of actor and writer Bréhima Sangaré.

Sangaré was born in 1968 to singers Aminata Diakité and Sidiki Sangaré, both of whom originated from the Wassoulou region. In 1970, her father took a second wife and moved to Abidjan, leaving Sangaré, her mother and her siblings behind in Bamako. She began singing in the streets to help her mother, leaving school at an early age to do so.

Many Oumou Sangaré songs become very popular and trendy online with a great number of streaming and downloads on Boomplay.

Career
Her career began in 1973 when, at the age of five, she won an inter-kindergarten singing competition in Bamako, going on to perform before an audience of several thousand at the Omnisport stadium. At 16, she went on tour with the percussion group Djoliba, touring in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Caribbean, and elsewhere. Inspired by her reception on tour, Sangaré returned to Bamako and established her own musical group.

Sangaré recorded her first album, Moussoulou ("Women"), with Amadou Ba Guindo, a renowned maestro of Malian music. The album was very successful in Africa, with more than 200,000 copies sold.

With the help of Ali Farka Touré, Sangaré signed with the English label World Circuit. They re-released the album Moussoulou. At the age of 21, she was already a star.

Oumou Sangaré is considered an ambassador of Wassoulou; her music has been inspired by the music and traditional dances of the region. She writes and composes her songs, which often include social criticism, especially concerning women's low status in society.

Many of Sangaré's songs concern love and marriage, especially freedom of choice in marriage. Her 1989 album Moussoulou was an unprecedented West African hit. In 1995, she toured with Baaba Maal, Femi Kuti, and Boukman Eksperyans.

Since 1990 she has performed at some of the most important venues in the world, such as the Melbourne Opera, Roskilde Festival, Gnaoua World Music Festival, WOMAD, Oslo World Music Festival, and the Opéra de la Monnaie.

Achievements
IMC-UNESCO International Music Prize (2001, performers category, jointly awarded to Gidon Kremer) for her contribution to "the enrichment and the development of music as well as for the cause of peace, for the understanding among peoples and international cooperation".
On October 16, 2003, Sangaré was named Goodwill Ambassador of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

In 2010, Sangaré's album Seya was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album.

In 2011, Sangaré won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals, with Herbie Hancock, Pink, India Arie, Seal, Konono Nº1 and Jeff Beck, for 'Imagine'.

In October 2017, Sangaré won the Artist Award at WOMEX 2017 in recognition of her music and for her advocacy for women's rights.

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Sangaré is an advocate for women's rights, opposing child marriage and polygamy.

Sangaré is also involved in the world of business, including hotels, agriculture, and automobiles. She has launched a car, the "Oum Sang", manufactured by a Chinese firm and marketed in conjunction with her own company Gonow Oum Sang.

She is the owner of the 30-room Hotel Wassoulou in Mali's capital, Bamako, a haven for musicians and her own regular performing space. "I helped build the hotel myself. I did it to show women that you can make your life better by working. And many more are working these days, forming cooperatives to make soap or clothes."

Sangaré has also been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, but says she does not want to be a politician: "While you're an artist, you're free to say what you think; when you're a politician, you follow instructions from higher up."

Sangaré supports the cause of women throughout the world. She was named an ambassador of the FAO in 2003 and won the UNESCO Prize in 2001 and was made a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of France in 1998.

Oumou Sangaré Songs and Albums
• Mogoya (Album)
• Yere Faga
• Iyo Djeli
• Fadjamou
• Oumou (Album)
• Ko Sira (Album)
• Yala
• Kaîny woura (Live)

Oumou Sangaré songs are included in Boomplay music playlists. Search to stream and download Oumou Sangaré songs MP3/ single/ albums on the platform.