{"id":42708,"date":"2017-05-19T15:05:20","date_gmt":"2017-05-19T13:05:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/eight-years-after-her-last-record-oumou-sangares-album-mogoya-was-released-on-may-19th-on-no-format-label-we-met-with-the-malian-diva-in-paris\/"},"modified":"2020-04-27T03:39:07","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T02:39:07","slug":"eight-years-after-her-last-record-oumou-sangares-album-mogoya-was-released-on-may-19th-on-no-format-label-we-met-with-the-malian-diva-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pan-african-music.com\/en\/eight-years-after-her-last-record-oumou-sangares-album-mogoya-was-released-on-may-19th-on-no-format-label-we-met-with-the-malian-diva-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Oumou Sangar\u00e9, from Wassoulou to the dancefloors"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Eight years after her last record, Oumou Sangar\u00e9’s album Mogoya was released on May, 19th on N\u00f8 F\u00f8rmat!<\/a>\u00a0label. It’s as if it was a new person. We met with the Malian diva in Paris.<\/b><\/h3>\n

PAM: You last record Seya was released in 2009. Why did it take so much time for the new album?<\/strong>
\nO.S.:<\/strong> I’m not a stressed person, and I’m very busy, working on many other things. I still play music around the world, and I haven’t gotten bored lately. But as my fans started to get impatient, they put pressure on me [laughs]. But, really, I usually never get bored.. <\/span><\/p>\n

Is it hard for you to write a new album?<\/strong>
\nReleasing an album in Mali is always a big thing. So I’m afraid to disappoint people: they ask for advice and beautiful melodies\u2026 This is real work. And I don’t like to be stressed when I’m composing. Daily social news are very inspiring to me, and this is why I want to live in Mali, even if I have houses in other places. Mali is the place that gives me inspiration. I may be speaking to the whole world, but my music is first aimed at Malian people. And you need to live among them so you can understand them. The lyrics came before the melodies and the rhythm.<\/p>\n

\n

ELECTRONIC MUSIC IS WHAT MAKES AFRICA DANCE. WE NEED TO MAINTAIN MUSIC FROM THE PAST. BUT AS I WAS USING THESE OLD GROOVES, THE YOUTH WAS TELLING ME: “WHEN ARE WE GONNA DANCE TO OUMOU’S TRACKS IN THE CLUBS?”<\/h3>\n
\n

Mogoya<\/em> has travelled a lot before being released…<\/strong>
\nThis album got on the train in Mali. Then I stayed in Sweden with the whole band for two weeks. And the record eventually landed in Paris. This trio called A.L.B.E.R.T. has worked a lot on it. In the end, this album is made off of many minds.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Mogoya<\/em> is a true shift in your career. It’s as if Oumou Sangar\u00e9 had suddenly changed clothes. The music is sometimes getting close to electronic music…<\/strong>
\nThe first time I’ve listened to the final version of the songs [after trio A.L.B.E.R.T. had arranged them], I thought to myself, “wow, this is pure magic!”, but at the same time I was really waiting for the ngoni sound\u2026 and when it finally came, I yelled “walaa!” because this was what I wanted. It’s a real shift, indeed, but they respected Wassoulou melodies, and Oumou’s rhythms and melodies.<\/p>\n

Electronic music is what makes africa dance. We need to maintain music from the past. But as I was using these old grooves, the youth were telling me: “when are we gonna dance to Oumou’s tracks in the clubs?” Then I started to think of what I could do for them, without altering my music. And when I heard A.L.B.E.R.T.’s arrangements, I knew this was it! I was responding to the youth’s desires. And this is just beautiful!<\/p>\n