Christine Jean-Pierre
CSMS Magazine
Before there was a female vocalist for the musical genre of the African Kora Virtuoso, the musical style was filled with male solo artist such as Toumani Diabete, and the legendary David Gilden. There was hardly anyone that reached the international recognition other than Sona Jobarteh. Sona Jobarteh is the first ever female African Kora Virtuoso singer to reach into legendary status by her music reaching the charts globally. Sona is widely known for her addictive tunes and breathtaking vocal ability. It was her first album “Fasiya” that helped catapulted Sona to worldwide gratitude. Sona’s musical abilities were justly embedded in her genes with her being the first virtuoso born out of the respected West African Griot families.
The quality of her vocal ability also reached the American film industry when she requested by Hollywood film producer Alex Heffers to perform the lead song for the film “The First Grader.” The Sona’s impeccable vocal ability on the song won her the “Discovery of the Year” award at the Hollywood world soundtrack awards in 2012. Sona’s artistic ability is not just ingrained in music only, also started her own foundation called “Gambia’s first cultural academy” in 2014 which is a collaborative effort with the German President for a performing arts institute for children.
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