Sally Nyolo was born in the South of Cameroon, in a small village called Eyen-Meyong in the Lékié Region.  She is one of the Eton people, who are a subset of the Beti tribe.  Nyolo left Cameroon when she was thirteen and moved to Paris.  In 1993 Nyolo started singing with the a capella band Zap Mama in France.  Her solo debut came with the 1996 release, Tribu (Lusafrica).  For this album she was awarded the Discovery '97 prize by Radio France Internationale.  Then came the '98 Multiculti (Lusafrica) record, her 2000 release of Beti (Lusafrica), and then the 2002 Zaïone (Lusafrica), titled after her son. 

To date Nyolo has recorded four albums, and her blending of traditional Cameroonian bikutsi rhythms with western styles has won her international recognition. Most recently Nyolo has devoted her efforts to revitalizing the Cameroonian music scene, opening a studio in Yaoundé and starting her own production company--Tribal Production.

Contributed by: Maggie Filler