Known around the world as "The Golden Voice of Mali," Salif Keita's unique sound blends the traditional styles of his West African homeland with influences from Cuba, Spain, Portugal, and the Middle East. The instrumentation that accompanies his singing represents a fusion of European and African popular music, ranging from guitar, organ, and sax to traditional African instruments such as the kora, balafon, and djembe, often synthesized and sampled. He has enjoyed a prosperous career not only in his native Mali, where he was awarded the National Order of Guinea by President Ahmed Sekou Toure, but also in Europe and America, where he became well-known after moving to Paris and collaborating with other African pop stars there.

But his path was not an easy one. Despite the fact that he came into the world in 1949 of noble birth — he is a direct descendant of Sundiata Keita, the Mandinka warrior king who founded the Malian empire in the 13th century — his albinism was considered a sign of bad luck in Mali, and resulted in his being spurned and alienated by his community and even by his family. He spent his childhood and teenage years feeling isolated, and turned to music as a means by which to make use of his talents and connect with others. His reputation spread far and wide, picking up momentum as he left Mali and moved to Abidjan, capital of the Ivory Coast, and then finally to Paris in 1984, where he has remained. His "Golden Voice of Mali" epithet actually has a double meaning, as many people with albinism of African ancestry have skin and hair that is a light golden color rather than the more typical deep brown or black.