Kirin - Music

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 Two Vinyl Discs Amary Daou Présente Kandia Kouyaté And Kandja Kouyaté Et L’Ensemble Instrumental National Du Mali. Her Debut Solo Album Is Kita Kan. Kandia Kouyaté Toured Europe In 1999 Alongside Guinean Singers Sekouba Bambino & Oumou Diabate And With A 12 Piece West African Ensemble That Included Kora Djembe Ngoni Balafon Bass Keyboards Backing Vocals And Percussion. The Tour Named As 'The Griot Groove Tour' Included Concerts In Germany Austria Norway Sweden And The United Kingdom. Kandia Kouyaté Suffered A Stroke In Late 2004 And It Is Speculated That She Will Not Be Able To Record Or Perform Again. read less