Rokia Traorè
“I love and respect traditional music,” Rokia explains. “There are many musicians who play with a lot of talent but it’s more interesting for me to listen to them rather than trying to do the same without their training. Yes, I'm using traditional instruments. But I'm giving them a new expression and writing modern songs that have an entirely contemporary appeal." As for fusion, she’s not even entirely sure what the word means in today’s global village. “If I'd been born 100 years ago, I wouldn’t have known American or European music,” she reasons. “But the world we live in today means you pick up on all these other sounds and they're now part of me. I make music as someone who has listened to jazz, classical, rock and pop -everyone from Louis Armstrong to Serge Gainsbourg, as well as to the African griots.”
