N'tin Naari

1997 release. Born a Touré, a descendent of one of the oldest noble families of the Malinké people, Fantani was by custom forbidden to sing in public, but won school prizes for her singing and dancing. She also earned a degree in business management and opened a clothing boutique in Bamako, Mali. Two of Mali's greatest musicians convinced her to share her musical talents with the public: the great kora virtuoso Toumani Diabaté, who persuaded her to join his concert orchestra, and Mali's most famous singer, Salif Keïta, who produced her first CD, N'tin Naari, which Sterns Music released internationally in 1997. A role model to Fantani for the way he had defied the conventions of his noble birth, Keïta encouraged her to present her true self, beholden to neither tradition nor passing fads. There was no going back. Fantani Touré went on to international festivals and tours and feature roles in two popular Malian films. Named Malian Star of the Year in 2003, she used her fame to advocate for girls' education and women's entrepreneurship. She died in 2014 at the age of 50.