For the last 20 years, a few great musicians have ruled Africa's musical scene. You know their names - Baaba Maal, Salif Keita, Angelique Kidjo, Youssou N'Dour and Fela Kuti.

However a new breed of African voices is rising up and singing out - their strong, lyrical senses and smoldering vocals exciting audiences all over the planet.

"Fatoumata Diawara has been hailed as the African newcomer of the year. In what, admittedly, has not been a classic period for new music from the continent, she has succeeded as a stylish performer who hasn't put a foot wrong." (The Guardian newspaper)

Representing a new generation that carries the tradition of Mali music championed by Oumou Sangare and Rokia Traore, Fatoumata (born in 1982) is a Malian musician currently living in France. Born in the Ivory Coast to Malian parents, Diawara moved to France to pursue acting, appearing in Cheick Oumar Sissoko's 1999 feature film La Genèse, Dani Kouyaté's popular 2001 film Sia, le rêve du python, in the internationally renowned street theatre troupe Royal Deluxe, and played a leading role in the musical Kirikou et Karaba.

She later took up the guitar and began composing her own material, writing songs that blend Wassalou traditions of Southern Mali with international influences.

Noted for her distinct "sensuous voice," she has performed and recorded with Oumou Sangaré, AfroCubism, Dee Dee Bridgewater (on Red Earth: A Malian Journey), and the Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou. Her new EP was released May 9, 2011 and her debut album Fatou with World Circuit Records was released in September 2011.

Fatou is definitely a diva to watch out for.

In a recent Sydney Morning Herald interview, the renowned Baaba Maal, spoke out about Africa's new talent, citing upcoming performers who deserve to be lionised.

"Two artists spring to mind that have recently impressed me with superb albums and brilliant live shows," he said in a lengthy email from his home in the Mali capital of Bamako.