Kimi Djabaté was raised in Tabato, Guinea-Bissau, a village known for its griots, hereditary singer-poets whose songs of praise and tales of history and legends play an essential role in Africa’s musical life.

His parents gave him his first balafón when he was three years old. His early introduction to a variety of traditional instruments laid the foundation for his later mastery of the guitar and skill with a range of percussion instruments. Djabaté’s talents proved both a gift and a burden, as his family often forced him to sing and dance against his will, and he had little time to partake in the carefree fun and games of other children his age.

In 1994, when he was just nineteen, Djabaté made the difficult decision not to return to Africa and instead settled in Lisbon, Portugal, where he forged connections in the local music scene and further developed his unique, personal sound. Throughout his years in Europe, Djabaté collaborated with many other exceptional musicians, including Mory Kanté, Waldemar Bastos and Netos de Gumbé, among others. Recently, Djabaté has worked with the pop star Madonna and was a featured singer on her song “Ciao Bella”.

Djabaté’s parents and uncles provided the young phenom with excellent training in traditional Mandingo music, but Djabaté was also interested in popular African genres such as the local dance music style gumbé, Nigerian Afrobeat and Cape Verdean morna, not to mention western jazz and blues.

In 2005, Djabaté independently released his first solo album, Teriké, followed by Karam in 2009, which was released by Cumbancha and met with resounding praise. His third album, Kanamalu, came out in 2016. Djabaté’s albums pay tribute to his griot heritage and the spirit of Africa, laying a foundation for his latest musical masterpiece, Dindin, released by Cumbancha in 2023.

The central themes of Djabaté’s music are the joys and challenges of life in Africa, from freedom and poverty to the rights of women and children and the many forms of love. Continuously optimistic about the power of music and its message to create a better future for Africans, Djabaté’s magical songs remain uplifting and hopeful even as they reflect on contemporary struggles and challenges. An expression of his griot roots, Djabaté pays tribute to the people, soul and spirit of Africa that is at the heart of his music.

Violinist and multi-instrumentalist with classical training and a particular interest in contemporary forms of expression. She studied in Lisbon (ESML/NOVA), Aveiro (UA), Berlin (UDK), and Belfast (SARC).
As a performer, she joined the Gulbenkian Orchestra on tour in Brazil with conductor Lawrence Foster and cellist António Meneses. In ensemble, she toured nationally with Benjamin Clementine and also with Sam the Kid+Orelha Negra in Coliseums and National Festivals.
She is a founding member of the still active string quartet Hotel, created for Rita Redshoes’ “Her” tour by the National Theater Network. She has been part of several improvised music groups, such as Luís Lopes’ decateto “Abyss Mirrors,” the duo with Maria W Horn, and the trio with Norberto Lobo and Helena Espvall (Jazz em Agosto).
As a performer, she was part of the international theater tour of Mónica Calle’s “Carta” and collaborated with José Fonseca e Costa in his latest film, Axilas, in the role of Maria Pia, shown in cinemas and on television.
In the field of contemporary music, she has played at various international festivals such as the Münchener Biennale für Experimentelles Musiktheater at the Gasteig, Outono de Varsóvia, and Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik.
As an author, she has written three master’s theses and a doctoral thesis dedicated to musical creation for violin and electronics.
She has produced two solo albums, “Beetroot&Other Stories” and “Nolastingname,” in which you can hear the sound of the legendary Buchla 200 modular synthesizers recorded at EMS in Stockholm, fused with the sound of the violin built by luthier Fernando Lima.
Her music has been selected for several documentaries, short films, choreographies, and plays shown at festivals such as Monstra and DocLisboa.
Mystery Sonatas is his third authorial work, which brings together influences from the homonymous music of Baroque composer Heinrich Biber, as well as elements of human exodus and diaspora portrayed in Elfriede Jelinek’s The Protected, a play for which she composed the original soundtrack.