Dobet Gnahoré

She was born on June 17, 1982 in Côte d'Ivoire. She is a singer, dancer and percussionist. As the daughter of Boni Gnahoré, a percussionist musician, she inherited the strength of the traditions of her native culture, bété. She plays with the group Na Afriki, which is composed of French and Tunisian musicians, who accompany her on guitar, sanza, balafon, Calabrian lyre and bongos. After her time with the famous Czechoslovakian dance company, she moved to France in 1999, due to the civil war. She currently lives in Marseille since the coup d'état of General Robert Guéï.  

In France she perfected her vocal technique and nurtured her musical instinct by exploring styles such as hip hop, classical, contemporary and jazz dance. That same year she formed, along with French guitarist Colin Laroche de Féline, the duo Ano Neko, which in Bété language means "let's create together". In 2004, she released her debut album under the same title, Ano Neko. Two years later, she was nominated, at the BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards, for Best New Artist. In 2010 she shared an award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance with India.Arie at the 52nd Grammy Awards. In June 2024, Dobet Gnahóre presented her seventh album, Zouzou, which in French means "angel". The Ivorian artist has dedicated this work to the youth, as she believes that they will define the future of Africa. Her musical style is very varied: Congolese rumba, Mandingo melodies, Cameroonian bikoutsi, Zulu choruses, Ghanaian highlife, and so on. Her acoustic songs form a friendly and catchy African sound. Dobet sings in a wide variety of African languages: Bété, Fon, Baoule, Lingala, Malinke, Mina and Bambara.