Thaïs Diarra

BIO

Thaïs Diarra is a nu-soul singer originating from Mali, Switzerland and Senegal, although she was born in Bienne (Switzerland). Her father was a bass player and her mother a big music lover. Already in her early years music had become a refuge, a moral recourse to the racial prejudgement and to the questions about her identity. In her youth she was inspired by Afro-American music, by reggae and also simply by singers who looked like her. Soon she started her own hip-hop group with a young rapper and musicians of her town.

As a writer, composer and singer, Thaïs offers a personal, thought-provoking message. In 2003 she went back to her roots, travelling to Africa where she stayed for quite a long time. In Senegal she met well-known rapper Didier Awadi. In 2004 she was welcomed as a member to the group PBS Radical. Along with PBS Radikal she toured Africa and Europe, ensuring recordings and worldwide collaborations.

A year later, in 2005, she met Swiss musician and producer Fred Hirschy (Tumi Molekane, Fredy Massamba), with whom she started to collaborate. This musical complicity resulted in her first solo album, called 'Metisse', recorded in Switzerland and Senegal. It is a mixture of African instruments (like the kora and balafon) with new American-influenced soul. Being also influenced by reggae as well as mbalax and mandingue music, this album is an Afro-soul mixture. Quite a few famous musicians were invited to take part on this album, including Awadi, Fredy Massamba, Gunman Xuman and Noumoucounda Cissoko.
The lyrics are in English, French and Wolof or Bambara. It’s about tolerance, hope but also about actual serious matters, such as exile, persecution and the difficulties met in Africa. Her voice, sensible and warm, takes listeners abroad on a journey that makes them discover and understand people of mixed origins.