Oumie Garba Has Dabbled in Dancehall, But Her Latest Song Returns to Her Roots

Born in The Gambia, raised in Sweden and currently living in Los Angeles, Oumie Garba epitomizes the cosmopolitan woman. As a singer, she has dabbled in pop and dancehall, but for her latest song, she returned to her roots.

Oumie Garba and Akon at the BET Awards in Los Angeles in JuneHer song, BoBess, is done to Mbalax, a sound associated with West Africa, especially her homeland and neighboring Senegal.

“I just wanted to give a shout-out to my heritage, and that’s how the song came out. I wanted to make a statement for the young ladies to stand their ground, no matter what,” said Oumie Garba.

BoBess came after experiments with pop on songs like Myself and Waves, but has also tried her hand at dancehall. That came in the form of Bubble, her 2022 single with Jamaican deejay E-Dee.

Oumie Garba discovered dancehall-reggae during the 1990s while living in Stockholm, Sweden where her family moved to from The Gambia. The Scandinavian country’s diverse populace reflected in music played on its airwaves and television, introducing her to the songs of Shabba Ranks, Sean Paul and Bob Marley.

It was during her childhood in Stockholm that Mbalax was popular throughout Europe. The sound gained prominence throughout the 1980s when world beat artists such as Youssouf N’Dour from Senegal, and Alpha Blondy of the Ivory Coast (now Côte d'Ivoire) emerged.

Akon, from Senegal, has also incorporated Mbalax in his music.

Oumie Garba is founder and CEO of the Miss Africa America pageant which takes place in Hollywood, California on September 28.