Interview: Amadou & Mariam

At times, Amadou & Mariam seem a bit uncomfortable with questions about Mali. I suspect it is because they do not want to end up pidgeon-holed by an American audience used to associating African music with “world music,” a label that can scare potential listeners away from an act they fear they will never have the language or cultural background to enjoy. But Amadou & Mariam do make world music, and always have. From their early recordings that passed the sounds of traditional Malian music through a lens of Western jazz and blues, to their latest album, Welcome to Mali, which sounds profoundly influenced by decades of global touring, Amadou & Mariam’s world music sheds regional codes and dialects leaving pretty much pure pop in the most enjoyable (if Francophone) sense. We had the enviable opportunity to have a translator-assisted chat with the duo recently.

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