Djely Tapa is a singer-songwriter based in Montreal who descends from an illustrious line of Malian griots. She grew up among djelies (aka jeli, the Malinké word for griot, a West African hereditary oral historian, storyteller, singer, and musician) in the Kayes region of western Mali. Her mother is the legendary Kandia Kouyaté and her father was the celebrated singer and dancer, Djely Bouya Diarra. Sountougoumba Diarra, as she was named, came to Canada to pursue studies in aeronautics and first stepped onto the Montreal stage in 2004.
Now an integral part of Canada’s musical landscape, Djely Tapa has been hailed as one of the newest international voices of Mandinka music. With the mastery of an initiate, she fashions her music in the splendour of Mandinka traditions, transcended by her deep voice, fiery guitar, mesmerizing chords and electronic vibes. Her debut album, Barokan, won the 2020 JUNO Award for “World Music Album of the Year.”
The artist’s 2022 single, “Le sais-tu ?” is dedicated to the memory of Quebec’s victims of femicide and denounces the violence and discrimination perpetrated against women around the world. That same year, she was named a Laureate of Black History Month’s 31st edition. Again in 2022, she earned a JUNO for “Global Music Album of the Year” for Kalasö, this time as part of Afrikana Soul Sister, a collective she leads with Jean-François Lemieux and Fa Cissokho. She also features on the song “Alou Maye,” with Ivorian singer Tiken Jah Fakoly, on his 2024 album Acoustic.
Djely Tapa has a remarkably powerful and radiant voice. Between gripping high notes and her deep tones, she performs her glowing melodies in Malinke, Bambara, Kassonke and French. Her lyrical stories, which pay homage to Africanness, are replete with metaphors, Afro-futurism along with griot wisdom and artistry. Her songs carry a message of strength and hope as they echo feminist and social struggles.
In 2024, she released her third album, Dankoroba, in which she celebrates each person’s unique potential to help shape the world, an inspiring reflection of an Africa that is capable of extending its horizons without letting go of its roots. In March 2025, this album earned Djely Tapa another “Global Music Album of the Year” award, her 3rd JUNO!