Dobet Gnahoré

Ivory Coast World Music

Biography :

At age 12, Dobet Gnahoré had made up her mind to become an artist: “I’m not going back to school!” she told her father confidently. “I’m staying in the village, like you.” It must be said that the village in question, Ki-Yi M'Bock, is a rather special place. Located in the countryside outside Abidjan, it is an artists’ cooperative that is home to dancers, actors, sculptors and musicians. Dobet thus had access to a wide range of disciplines practised by artists from all over Africa. Her father was a drummer, singer and actor.

From this date onward, she learned dance, song and theatre intensively. In 1996, the arrival in the village of a French guitarist, Colin Laroche de Féline, would change Dobet’s life. He meant to stay three days and ending up settling there for three years. The two artists would never leave each other. They settled in France in 1999 and continued their artistic collaboration with other musicians. In 2004, their first album, Ako Neko, was issued, and in 2006 Dobet Gnahoré was nominated for the BBC World Music Awards in the Best New Artist category. Her second disc, Na Afriki, came out the following year, and 2007 was also the year of the Acoustic Africa Tour, a tour across Europe and the United States with two great figures of African music, the Malian Habib Koité and the South African Vusi Mahlasela.

On stage, Dobet Gnahoré is impressive. Applying the learning from her childhood, she fills the stage with energy, talent and charisma. The best compliment that can be paid her is that she is compared to stage animals such as Miriam Makeba and Angélique Kidjo. The international atmosphere in which she grew up also enables her, depending on the piece, to sing in Wolof, Arabic, Lingala, Fon, French or Mandinka.

In March 2010, at age 28, Dobet Gnahoré brought out her third album, titled Djekpa La You (Children of the world). There then began a European and North American tour. A promise for all those lucky enough to have the opportunity to see her perform.