Rokia Traoré, whose most recent album, Tchamantché, was released on Nonesuch earlier this year, is the subject of a feature profile in the Sunday Times (UK), in anticipation of her sold-out concert at London’s celebrated Barbican this Friday. The article highlights both her “flourishing reputation” and the launch of her Fondation Passarelle, an organization she founded to help young people develop the skills needed to enter the music business. In August, she performs two free shows in New York that Time Out includes in its preview of the summer's best outdoor concerts. "With her latest disc," says the magazine, "Traoré wraps her beautiful, velvety voice around moody blues and joyous Afrobeats alike. Be prepared to gape at her lovely vocals, and also to get up and shimmy."
Rokia Traoré, whose most recent album, Tchamantché, was released on Nonesuch earlier this year, is the subject of a feature profile in the Sunday Times (UK), in anticipation of her sold-out concert at London’s celebrated Barbican this Friday, May 29, with Sweet Billy Pilgrim. The article highlights both her “flourishing reputation” and the launch of the Fondation Passarelle, an organization founded by Traoré with the goal of helping young people develop the skill sets needed to enter the music business.
Traoré, the daughter of a Malian diplomat, "is now playing the role of cultural administrator" herself, says Times music writer Clive Davis. The musician, whom Davis describes as “every inch the 21st-century artist,” sees the foundation as a way to formalize efforts towards aiding young people who reach out to her for help or advice. Traoré received great encouragement and support from the late Ali Farka Touré early in her career, and, the Times concludes, her new institute is “one way in which she can honour his restless spirit.”
To read the full article, visit entertainment.timesonline.co.uk.
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Traoré was also recently featured on the BBC World Service radio program The Strand, a global guide to the world of arts, culture, and entertainment. On the show, she discussed her album Tchamantché, with host Mark Coles, and performed songs from it live in studio. You can read about the episode and watch three performance videos from the show at bbc.co.uk.
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Following her Barbican show, Traoré plays two additional concerts in the UK, including WOMAD Charlton Park, which celebrates her receipt of the inaugural Songlines Music Award. She then comes to New York City in August for two free performances that Time Out New York includes in its preview of the best outdoor concerts this summer. She'll play the BAM Rhythm and Blues Festival at MetroTech at noon on August 6 and at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park Bandshell the following evening.
"With her latest disc, Tchamantché," says the magazine, "Malian singer Rokia Traoré wraps her beautiful, velvety voice around moody blues and joyous Afrobeats alike. Be prepared to gape at her lovely vocals, and also to get up and shimmy."
For more tour information, visit nonesuch.com/on-tour.
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