"Any goal must have a reason / Any success is based on a reason / Any failure is based on a goal without a reason.”
These  are  the  opening  words,  feverishly  sung  in  Bambara,  of  the  song Kenia in Rokia Traoré’s sixth album Né So (“Home”).
And the best way to encapsulate   the   Mali born   singer’s   strength   throughout   her   nearly twenty year musical path. The decision to take up music may be guided by  a  career  plan,  or  a  burning  urge,  or  an  attempt  to  gain  some recognition,  or  even  the  desire  to  pass  on  a  legacy.  But  Rokia  Traoré’s journey  is  of  a  whole  different  kind.  Ever  since  she  released  her  first  record Mouneïssa,  she  has  grown  her  own  art  and  developed  a  real  life philosophy; or a principle , in its etymological meaning: a source, a rule of conduct.  This  empirically  based  axiom  guiding  her  actions  has  always been  driven  by  the  force  of  her  will  and  the  movements  of  her  heart. Incidentally, the fundamental question of choices and responsibilities has always been Rokia’s centre of gravity.