Inna Modja

http://www.innamodja.com/

Born on May 19, 1984 in Bamako, Mali, in a Fula family, the sixth of seven children, Inna Bocoum owes her artist name to her mother, who gave her the nickname of Inna Modja, which means "Inna is bad" or "Inna is not good" in Fulfulde. When she was six, her parents enrolled her in a choir. At home, her father encouraged her to progress by playing her some records he liked (artists such as Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Otis Redding, Sarah Vaughan). She was also influenced by her older siblings, who transitioned into Thrash Punk, 80/90's Rap, Heavy Metal periods, in addition to Blues, Soul andDisco. As a teenager, she still alternated between Hard Rock and love songs. She regularly visited her neighbour, Salif Keita, who invites her to be part of the Rail Band of Bamako, a group of swinging old men (Bossa Nova and Jazz), amongst whom he himself debuted.

She speaks against female genital mutilation, as she herself and her four sisters were circumsized without their parents' approval, an event she sang about in one of her songs. She since had reconstructive surgery done. She's also outspoken against violence against women, which she portrayed in the music video of her song "La Valse de Marylore".

- Wikipedia