BIOGRAPHY

His rise to fame is almost a miracle… considering that the griot’s father was not keen on his son pursuing a musical career, Iba Diabaté was able to overcome this significant obstacle to achieve his dream, to freely sing in his native Bambara tongue. Still a young man, he finally surrendered to this irresistible musical calling while studying in Mali’s Sikasso region. He took up the balafon, guitar and singing, which came naturally to him. In the 1990s, he headed to Canada, where he was able to freely explore his musical skills, which were mostly self-taught without his family’s knowledge. Through these artistic explorations, Mouna, his first album, emerged in 2007. Two years later, Iba Diabaté accepted an invitation to the Montreux Jazz Festival, which allowed him to spread his wings and achieve international acclaim. His repertoire unfolds naturally with songs of love, peace and reconciliation, as well as societal reflection, and, of course, the veneration of the Malian woman’s beauty, as in the song “Dalla,” a masterpiece reminiscent of Salif Keita’s romantic odes. In September 2023, Diabaté took his art to new heights with eleven new tunes that are featured on his album Racines (Disques Nuits d’Afrique), sealing a Baramba musical bond with the greats of this Malian tradition, all in perfect harmony with the legacy of his griot linage from the legendary Ségou region.