Mariama

This young singer songwriter resembles our new planet, this open world where identities are changing in which affiliations are multiple, entangled, intertwined. Her voice has the stamp and the momentum of West African voices, the mellowness and the clarity of those voices for which the Lied was invented in Germany. We hear, too, the echo of jazz divas or black folk singers, the cheek of the hit singers of London or New York, the spiritual depth of reggae or old school soul. Free, inspired, sensitive. Her first release "The Easy Way Out" is an album to enjoy all year long. It's a coming-of-age story told by an old soul. In their very own simplicity Mariama's songs sublimate the ordinary. Every experience becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, change and share. "Change With The Seasons" describes the bitter-sweet process of letting go, accepting, forgiving and never regretting an experience, even if it could not last. Her song "Easy Way Out" is quite simply a tribute to the rare moments in life when we realize our ability to joyfully live in the present moment. You have to listen to songs like "No Way" or "Underground" to savour her held back sense of rhythm as well as the depth of her voice. Mariama was born in Freetown and raised in Cologne. A German Sierra Leonean blend? Not only. "One of my grandfathers grew up in Prague, the other one is originally from the Foutah Djallon in Guinea and belongs to the nomad people which are called Fulani, Fula or Peul. My German grandmother has Norwegian and French ancestors." Since childhood she has come to France to visit her family. Her recent move to Paris has enabled her to discover the local urban music scene as well as the West African music movement. New horizons are opening up, and some new inspirations have found their way into her music, signs of which can be found in the collabarations on the new EP "No Way". "Omnia mea mecum porto". Mariama marked on her arm a Latin phrase attributed to the philosopher Bias de Priene, one of the seven sages of Greek, which aside from its pretty calligraphy and depth lets her remember that the essential is not what one has but what one is. "One of the greatest things is to know who you are and what you came to do in this life. I'm glad I started finding out quite early through music. It takes me to places I never expected to go, but it is so much more than that. Music is at the origin of humanity, it is sacred and powerful. Music is a connection to the soul, because that's where true inspiration always comes from." Order the "Moments Like These" EP! Bandcamp http://goo.gl/qsWwXY iTunes http://goo.gl/bJWxuE