Dobet Gnahoré (Ivory Coast)

About this event

One of African music’s top stars, Dobet Gnahoré is an award-winning singer, dancer and charismatic stage performer whose thrilling live shows have wowed audiences across the globe.

The winner of a Grammy Award for her live performances, she also picked up a prestigious Songlines world music award in 2014, and is in the running for the ‘Best Traditional Artist in Africa’ prize at this year’s ‘Kora Awards’ in South Africa.

Dobet Gnahoré’s repertoire mixes catchy, appealing melodies with African grooves and delicate ballads. It is a style she calls pan-African, and draws its influences from the broad musical traditions of the continent including Congolese rumba, Ghanian highlife, South African choral harmonies and Mandinque melodies.

A versatile singer, dancer and percussionist, Dobet inherited the musical tradition from her father, a master percussionist. Onstage, she has an infectious charisma, and is an amazing whirl of motion, passion and energy.

She compliments her powerful singing by playing guitar, percussion, thumb piano and shaker, and is accompanied by a powerful band led by her husband and long time collaborator, guitarist Colin Larouche de Feline.

“It isn’t just the look but the power and the range of Gnahoré’s voice that is transfixing. When she starts to dance, it underlines why she has been feted as one of Africa’s most dynamic performers” – Songlines Magazine