Kandia Kouyaté-Doninke

Kandia Kouyaté

Kandia Kouyaté (also known as Kandja Kouyaté, born in 1959(?) in Kita, Mali) is a Malian jelimuso (a female griot) and kora player; she has earned the prestigious title of ngara, and is sometimes appellated La dangereuse and La grande vedette malienne. Kouyaté's dense, emotional, hypnotic manner of singing and her lyrical talents have earned huge acclaim in Mali, though she remained relatively little known outside Africa, due to extremely limited availability of her recordings. Her home town of Kita is known for love songs, which form a large part of Kouyaté's repertoire. She also sings praise songs.

Kouyaté's career began in the early 1980s, when she started using female choral vocals accompanying her. This practice was later picked up by stars like Mory Kante and Salif Keita, and is now an integral part of Malian music. In 1983, she recorded[1] two vinyl discs, Amary Daou présente Kandia Kouyaté and Kandja Kouyaté et LEnsemble Instrumental National du Mali. Her debut solo album is Kita Kan.

Kandia Kouyaté suffered a stroke in late 2004, and it is speculated that she will not be able to record or perform again.

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[Malick5l]

Quelle vox! Quelle melody! Je suis un Kouyate de Guinee, je vie aus Etats Unis d' Amerique. J'aime vous ecouter. Ce que vous dites vient du coeur. You touch the subtlest and most sensitive string of my inner lyre. Thank you Kandia Kouyate.

Malick Kouyate