The new blues rising star Adama Janlo is a dynamic artist who will make her Svalbard debut at this year’s Dark Season Blues. With infectious energy, a raw stage presence, and a performance style that balances intensity and vulnerability, she creates concert experiences that linger long after the final note. In April, she and her band won the European Blues Challenge (EBC)—popularly known as the “European Blues Championship”—in Katowice, Poland. A victory at the EBC is a major stepping stone into the European soul and blues scene.
Janlo garnered well-deserved attention long before she released her debut album, *A Free Woman*, last fall. Her musical roots lie in soul, R&B, and blues. She has roots in Gambia, and the beautiful, laid-back “Bloodline” was written as part of her solo performance “Ganu Fɔlɔ Donkɛ” (“The Story of My Life”). It premiered at the Oslo World Festival, followed by several sold-out performances.
In 2024, she received the Young Artist Grant from the Norwegian Blues Union during the Notodden Blues Festival, and last year and this year she returned to perform her own concert during the festival. She also served as a vocal mentor for Little Steven’s Blues School.
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