For singer Dobet Gnahoré, it's personal and universal

WASHINGTON - Dobet Gnahoré's first album, "Ano Neko," was released in 2004. By 2006, the singer had been nominated for a 2006 BBC World Music Award. But it was a D.C.-based collaboration with India.Arie that helped solidify her stature in the United States.

"It was magic," Gnahoré said via email from Europe, who recently released the album "Na Drê" and who will play a concert Oct. 1 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago.

India.Arie "listened to my song 'Palea' via a compilation of Putumayo (a record label), and then she contacted my producer. She invited me to Washington - that's where we met each other for the first time - and after, things followed to the Grammy."

The resulting track, "Pearls," on India.Arie's 2009 album, "Testimony: Vol. 2: Love & Politics," won the Ivory Coast native a shared Grammy for best urban/alternative performance. And the recognition, she said, didn't just open doors: "In my country, the family was proud."

Gnahoré, 32, the daughter of percussionist Boni Gnahoré, grew up among musicians in an Abidjan-based arts community, and her interests grew from dance and theater to percussion and finally to singing.

"I evolved in the artistic community Ki-Yi M'Bock, that's where I made my first steps in the art, accompanied by several artists who were our trainers," Gnahoré said.

She had a whole continent of influences behind her. "My influences have been any major African voice such as Miriam Makeba and Anjélique Kidjo, and I also listen to a lot of traditional songs of the African continent."

In fact, Gnahoré has sung them in seven languages, from the Ivorian languages of Dida and Malinke to Wolof from Senegal, Fon from Benin, Lingala from Congo and Xhosa of South Africa.

"I sing in several languages. I do not speak (them). I do it for the beauty of our languages and (to) bring people together," Gnahoré said. "It is very common to speak several languages in Africa; it is one of the great richnesses we do have."

At 17, Gnahoré left the Ivory Coast because of illness. In France, she was able to get treatment she couldn't get at home, "and finally I stayed."

There she found a vibrant world music scene that embraced her art. "I think in France there is a desire to discover, to know," she said. "The public is curious."

Being in Europe also gave her a different perspective on her home continent. "Being here, I am more attached to my roots, and I became more and more proud to be who I am ... my trip to Europe made me grow and discover who I am," she said.

That perspective became part of her music as well.

"I usually sing issues that affect myself. I sing first for me," she said. But: "I always have a message of peace and forgiveness, and tolerance. My posts are for everyone. Languages are sometimes incomprehensible to some in Africa. For this, comes the role of melody and emotion, which are universal and speak to everyone."

Gnahoré said that for her latest album, "Na Drê," she "wanted music that represents me by now," but also songs with memorable melodies.

Her songs have been hailed for their vibrancy, and her performances are notable for her rich voice and compelling, versatile performing style.

"I dance. I sing. I play percussion," she said. "For me, being onstage is to do a show."