DOBET GNAHORE
About the Artist
When she was a young girl in the Ivory Coast, Dobet Gnahoré knew she wanted to devote her life to the arts.
Dobet's life changed when a young French guitarist named Colin Laroche de Féline arrived one morning in 1996 with a backpack over one shoulder and a guitar over the other. His expected three day visit stretched to three years, having fallen in love both with the village's artistic lifestyle and with Dobet. Colin mastered a range of African guitar techniques and he and Dobet formed a musical and romantic bond that made them inseparable collaborators. While the artistic colony was a utopian hideaway, the city of Abidjan became embroiled in social and political turmoil. Seeking a more stable and less dangerous environment in which to raise their child, Dobet and Colin moved to France in 1999, where they formed a band made up of a diverse line-up of musicians. Soon, the group was performing at European music festivals, and Dobet's unique talent began grabbing people's attention. She earned a Newcomer of the Year nomination by the BBC World Music Awards in 2006, and her debut album, the 2004 release Ano Neko, received wide accolades.
Radio Producer Sean Barlow of Afropop Worldwide raved: "Wow! Dobet Gnahoré is one helluva talented artist. Powerful singing combined with a charismatic stage presence, original choreography, and a theatricality that reminds me of Marie Daulne of Zap Mama." Major European press has also compared Dobet to some of the great women of African music, such as Angelique Kidjo and Miriam Makeba.
Last fall, Dobet joined Malian guitarist Habib Koité and South African troubadour Vusi Mahlasela on Putumayo's Acoustic Africa tour, which was presented across Europe and the United States. Sharing the stage with these two established African icons, many Western audiences got their first taste of Dobet's exceptional and dynamic stage presence. In a review of the performance, The Los Angeles Times raved, "She's a dynamic singer, the airy sound of her high notes recalling the focused timbre of Salif Keita. Gnahoré displayed powerful star potential."
Recordings
