THE SKINNY
Photo: Julio Bandit
Around the World Ahead of playing Glasgowâs Celtic Connections festival, we speak with one half of Malian duo Amadou & Mariam and highlight five other must-see artists
January 2022 â Feature
Music
Interview: Max Pilley
W
hen Amadou Bagayoko met Mariam Doumbia at Maliâs Institute for the Young Blind in 1970, he wasnât just meeting his life partner, but his musical soulmate. In the five decades since, Amadou & Mariam have gone from local favourites in the Bamako live music scene to global stars and Grammy nominees, building a contacts list that few can compete with along the way. After moving to Paris in 1996, their music â up until that point a dusty, streamlined version of
the desert blues tradition of Mali and surrounding countries â began to expand to include rock guitars alongside diverse instrumentation from across the world. They befriended world music connoisseur Manu Chao in the early 2000s, who went on to produce their 2004 album Dimanche Ă Bamako, earning them major international acclaim and recognition. Three further albums have cemented them as among Africaâs most popular artists and have seen them share stages with names as intergalactic as Stevie Wonder, U2 â 20 â
and Coldplay, as well as being invited to play at the opening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Ahead of the duoâs performance at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 2 February, as part of the 2022 Celtic Connections festival, The Skinny catch up with Bagayoko to discuss the possibility of a new record on the horizon, the perks of collaboration and his reflection on the responsibilities that come with representing their culture around the world.
