Traoré's father was a diplomat and she travelled widely in her youth. She visited Algeria, Saudi Arabia, France and Belgium and was exposed to a wide variety of influences. Her hometown of Kolokani is in the northwestern part of Mali's Koulikoro region.
Despite their shared last name, she is not related to Malian singer/guitarist Boubacar Traoré, although they performed a duet together on her 2000 album Wanita.[7]
Recordings
Her first album Mouneïssa (Label Bleu), released in late 1997 in Mali and September 1, 1998 in Europe, was acclaimed for its fresh treatment and unqualifiable combinations of several Malian music traditions such as her use of the ngoni and the balafon. It sold over 40,000 copies in Europe.
On July 11, 2000, her second album Wanita was released. Traoré wrote and arranged the entire album.
Her 2003 album Bowmboï has two tracks recorded with the Kronos Quartet but still sung in the Bamana language.
Her album Tchamantché was released on May 6, 2008, followed in 2013 by her album Beautiful Africa.
From 2013 to 2018, Traoré had a relationship with Jan Goossens,[9] a Belgian playwright and artistic director with whom she has a daughter, born in Belgium in 2015. Since their separation in 2018, the couple have been in conflict over custody of their daughter.[10][11][12][13] The custody conflicts are due in part to conflict between African and European judicial systems.[11][excessive citations] A court in Mali issued full custody to Traoré, but this was disputed by the government in Goossens' home country of Belgium.[11]
In March 2020, Traoré was arrested after a judge in Brussels issued a warrant ordering her to surrender her five-year-old daughter.[11] Traoré was detained at Fleury-Mérogis Prison near Paris and went on hunger strike upon her arrival.[11] She had been traveling to Europe to attend a hearing related to the custody dispute at the time of the arrest.[11] Several musicians publicly voiced support for Traoré and called for her release, including Angélique Kidjo, Damon Albarn, Youssou N'Dour, and Salif Keita.[11] On June 22, 2024, Rokia Traoré was arrested upon her arrival in Italy, following a European arrest warrant, issued by Belgian justice.[14][15] On September 26, the Italian justice system decided to extradite Rokia Traoré.[16] On November 20, the Italian Court of Cassation gave its authorization for the extradition of Rokia Traoré to Belgium, rendering its final judgment of extraction to Belgium.[17] On November 29, Rokia Traoré was extradited from Italy to Belgium and imprisoned in Haren prison in Brussels.[18]
Musical styles and influences
Traoré's arrangements are minimal in nature and her vocal style is smooth and gentle.[19] She uses traditional instruments such as the balafon, n'goni, and kora, as well as acoustic guitar and electric bass.[19] She traveled to several continents as a child due to her father's work as a diplomat, and was exposed to musical styles including Western classical music, jazz, pop, and Indian traditional composition.[19]
While the Bambara have a tradition of griot performing at weddings, members of the nobility, such as Traoré, are discouraged from performing as musicians.[19] Traoré attended lycée in Mali while her father was stationed in Brussels and started performing publicly as a university student in Bamako. She plays acoustic guitar as well as sings, and uses vocal harmonies in her arrangements which are rare in Malian music. She also plays ngoni (lute) and balafon.
She played at WOMAD in 2004 and completed her first tour of North America in the same year.[20]
In March 2005 she performed at the "Africa Live" festival, held in Dakar, Senegal.
Also in 2005 she performed at the Youssou N'dour and Friends concert in Geneva.
In December 2006 Peter Sellars' New Crowned Hope festival, which is part of the City of Vienna's celebrations commemorating Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's birthday 250 years ago, saw the world premiere of Wati, a performance by Rokia Traoré and the Klangforum Wien.
