Rising Malian singer Rokia Koné Singing has released a single titled ‘N’yanyan’. The song, performed in her native Bambara language, will appear in her album Bamanan, a collaboration with Irish-born, California-based rock producer Jacknife Lee.
Rokia Koné, who is already a major star in her home country, was first introduced to international audiences as part of the acclaimed feminist supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique in 2017 when she appeared together with some of West Africa’s biggest female artists on the album République Amazone.
Jacknife Lee is respected producer of popular bands U2, R.E.M and The Killers, and has earned Grammy recognition for his work on Taylor Swift’s multi-million selling album Red.
The vocals on ‘N’yanyan’ were recorded in Bamako on August 18, 2020, the night of a coup that marked another period of instability for Mali.
Rokia Koné says about the song: “‘N’yanyan is based on a very old song created by our ancestors, acknowledging our limits and our mortality. I sing it for all human beings, to tell them that we are in the middle ground and all this will end one day. This difficulty is only a moment in time, and all things will pass.”
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Author: World Music Central News Room
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