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Rokia Traoré announces November UK tour‏

September 16, 2013

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ROKIA TRAORÉ ANNOUNCES UK TOUR DATES

(NOVEMBER 2013)

 

‘Africa’s most interesting and genuinely experimental contemporary musician.’

Daily Telegraph

Following a summer of high-profile festival appearances, including main stage performances at Glastonbury and WOMAD, celebrated Malian artist Rokia Traoré will tour the UK this autumn in support of her critically acclaimed new album Beautiful Africa. The six dates are in Brighton (Corn Exchange, November 6), Leeds (Howard Assembly Room, November 7), Edinburgh (The Liquid Room, November 8), Derry (Guildhall, November 9), Manchester (Royal Northern College of Music, November 11) and London (Royal Festival Hall, November 13).  Tickets are on sale now.

Beautiful Africa, produced by John Parish (PJ Harvey, Eels), was met with an ecstatic response from the critics on its release on Nonesuch in April. Describing the album as, ‘extraordinary’, Time Out wrote, ‘Of all the musical responses by Malian artists to the political and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, you won’t find one more defiantly and vividly alive than this.’  Uncut described Beautiful Africa as, ‘the record fans of her explosive live shows always hoped she would make; a career highpoint.’

 

In August 2013 the French government honoured Rokia Traoré with the distinction of ‘Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters’ (Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres), recognising her significant contributions to the arts.

 

UK tour dates – November 2013

Nov 6        Brighton Dome Corn Exchange, Brighton           brightondome.org

Nov 7        Howard Assembly Room, Leeds                        operanorth.co.uk

Nov 8        The Liquid Room, Edinburgh                              liquidroom.com

Nov 9        Nerve Centre, Derry                                           cityofculture2013.com

Nov 11       Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester     rncm.ac.uk

Nov 13       Royal Festival Hall, London                               southbankcentre.co.uk

 

The daughter of a Malian diplomat who was posted to the US, Europe, and the Middle East, Traoré studied sociology in Brussels before embarking on her musical career. Although based in Bamako, Traoré has, for her son’s safety, temporarily relocated to Paris due to the current conflict in Mali. Her music draws upon her homeland’s traditions as well as the European and American rock and pop she has listened to throughout her life.

 

Traoré has explored a breadth of directions in her career. She recently collaborated with Nobel Prize–winning novelist Toni Morrison and MacArthur “Genius” Grant winning director Peter Sellars on the theatre piece Desdemona; its UK premiere was at the Barbican in London in the summer of 2012. The Guardian called it “a remarkable, challenging and bravely original new work.”  The Barbican also produced a three-night series of shows by Traoré last summer, entitled Donguili – Donke – Damou (SingDanceDream). Last autumn, Traoré joined musicians including John Paul Jones, Amadou Bagayoko, Baaba Maal, and Paul McCartney on Damon Albarn’s UK train tour Africa Express.

 

Traoré was awarded the inaugural Roskilde Festival World Music Award in 2009 for her work with Foundation Passerelle.

 

Visit the official Rokia Traoré website: www.rokiatraore.net
Visit the official Nonesuch website: www.nonesuch.com

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