Djely Tapa | The Malian Empress of Montreal

Between his Quebec and Malian identities, Djely Tapa does not choose. “We create together, I don’t dissociate these two people,” assures the singer, who highlights the publication of Dankorobahis second album, with a concert at the National.

Djely Tapa was preparing to fly to France when The Press reached her by telephone at the beginning of October. She was preparing to complete a series of concerts begun in 2019, following the release of her first solo album, Baroquewhich took him from Brazil to Estonia, via Europe, North America and Africa.

“After five years of life, I can say that I lived well with this record,” she says. Djely Tapa admitted closing this chapter with a bit of nostalgia, but also with the enthusiasm that novelty provides: at the beginning of October, the singer, who we first knew within Afrikana Soul Sister, published Dankorobaa second album where she updates her Mandinka musical roots, a culture which brings together several West African countries, from Mali to Senegal, via the Gambia.

“I am not a 13th century artist^e century [époque de la fondation de l’Empire mandingue]you may XXI^e century, she emphasizes. My Music sounds like the person I am. I hold on to my roots and I am a Quebec woman of today, a woman of my time as concerned about my artistic contribution as I am about the future of my children. »

A bit like on Baroqueson premier effort solo, Dankoroba is a record anchored in the traditions of West Africa, but whose style is eminently current. Among other things because of the sound treatment of voices and certain instruments. “On the first album, we were inspired by traditional instruments, but this time, we went to record traditional instruments in Africa, in the open air. »

This choice gives depth to the songs of Dankorobaa record with a certain groove and a desire to highlight the contribution of women to Mandinka culture and to campaign for the unity of Mali. That’s what the song is about. Malianperformed as a duet with Vieux Farka Touré, an extraordinary guitarist whom she calls her “brother in music”. At Djely Tapa, form and substance nourish each other.

Djely Tapa comes from a family of griots, the name given to the custodians of oral tradition in West Africa. His mother, Kandia Kouyaté, is an immensely known and respected figure in Mali. This heritage ensures that everything flows naturally at Djely Tapa, both the singing – powerful even in its delicacy – and the music. Without even understanding the lyrics of his songs, we can guess that his message is strong, anchored in a desire to be useful and to move things forward.

“My social action dates back to my ancestors and it is more important for me to be a griotte than to go on big stages,” she says. I have always worked in a social sense, because that is the vocation of a morello cherry. I don’t have to proclaim loudly what I stand for: I was born and trained for that. »

Djely Tapa highlights the launch of his album Dankoroba with a concert at the National this Saturday, at 8 p.m.