BIOGRAPHY

With fist raised like a fighter, the Guinean singer brandishes her art like a shield against the troubles faced by her people. Winner of the Prix Découverte RFI 2011, she emanates great sensitivity, as in the album My Life, a real gem, and her touching song “Malaya,” which actually translates as “my life.” You can almost hear her heart beating to this wistful tune. She is regarded as someone who strives to embody Afrobeat as a means of expression, a way of life and a kind of stance for this singer-songwriter from Guéckédou, which is close to the borders of Liberia and Sierra Leone, the country where she first saw the light of day. Spiritual daughter of Fela Kuti, she absorbed pidgin and English influences. The harshness of her upbringing led her to use her voice to shout aloud, an instinct that would never leave her. Surrounded by war, Sia Tolno found refuge in Guinea-Conakry. 

An amazing soul woman, head held high, the artist donned the mantle of a star and has more than proved that status after five musical chapters. Nourished by the classics of great singers such as Whitney Houston, Nina Simone and Mariah Carey, Sia Tolno also took on Edith Piaf’s repertoire. In 2009, when her first international album Eh Sangah was released, she captured hearts worldwide with the track “Je chante,” her tremulous remembrance of the past reaching full vocal maturity. Last May, the artist paid tribute to her female compatriots. In the song “Baya” (which means “bead”), her voice now deeper and magnificently soulful, she sings of her affection for her Guinean sisters.

Ready to conquer the American continent with her Afro Dead Tour, Sia Tolno launches herself like a fearless beast, rising above the human condition. Living proof of the capacity to survive violence and exile, the indomitable artist took a stand for peace in Ukraine in 2022 with her song of that name. She never fails to surprise with her redemptive blues vocals, performed with such intense sincerity as to sends shivers down the spine…

Merveilleuse soul woman, Sia Tolno épouse les formes d’une étoile. Elle le prouve tête haute après cinq chapitres musicaux. Nourrie aux classiques des grandes voix aux patronymes Houston, Simone, Carey, la chanteuse sait aussi s’emparer du répertoire de Piaf. Lorsqu’elle sort son tout premier album mondial Eh Sangah en 2009, sa pièce “Je chante” séduit par ce trémolo du souvenir du passé à sa pleine maturité vocale. En mai dernier, l’artiste rend hommage à ses compatriotes femmes. “Baya” (traduction de perles) délecte par sa voix plus basse, connectée à son affection pour ses sœurs de Guinée. 

Fin prête à conquérir le continent américain par son Afro Dead Tournée, Sia Tolno s’élance telle une fauve sans crainte, surpassant la condition humaine. Preuve physique de la survivance à toute forme de violences, à l’exil qui arrache une partie de soi, l’inébranlable artiste a défendu la paix en Ukraine en 2022. Elle n’a pas fini de nous surprendre par son chant salvateur blues qui donne le frisson tellement intense est la sincérité qui s’en dégage…