Angélique Kidjo

Some Lesser Known Facts About Angélique Kidjo

• Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo was born in Ouidah, French Dahomey, later called Benin, in 1960.

• Her father was from the Fon people and her mother from the Yoruba people of West Africa. Her father worked as a musician, and her mother was a choreographer and theatre director.

• As a child, she listened to traditional Yoruba and Beninese music, along with artists like Miriam Makeba, James Brown and Fela Kuti.

• By the age of six, she was performing with her mother’s theatre troupe, gaining early experience in music and dance. She joined her school band Les Sphinx and found success with an adaptation of Miriam Makeba’s song “Les Trois Z.”

• Kidjo recorded her first album Pretty with producer Ekambi Brilliant and her brother Oscar, touring across West Africa after its success. Political unrest in Benin restricted her artistic freedom, leading her to relocate to Paris in 1983.

• In Paris, she initially planned to study law but instead studied music at the jazz school CIM. She met musician Jean Hebrail at CIM, later becoming her husband and longtime musical collaborator in 1987. Kidjo worked as a backup singer before becoming the lead singer of Jasper van’t Hof’s band Pili Pili in 1985.

• With Pili Pili, she recorded albums Jakko (1987), Be In Two Minds (1988) and Hotel Babo (1990). She released her solo album Parakou in 1989 under the Open Jazz label, attracting wider attention.

• Island Records founder Chris Blackwell signed her in 1991, beginning her international career with four albums under the label. Her first Island album Logozo (1991) reached number one on the Billboard World Albums chart.

• She released Ayé in 1994, produced partly at Prince’s Paisley Park Studios, and received her first Grammy nomination. In 1995, she recorded Fifa in Benin, featuring Carlos Santana on the track “Naima.” From 1998, she worked on a trilogy of albums — Oremi (1998), Black Ivory Soul (2002) and Oyaya! (2004).

• Her 2007 album Djin Djin, produced by Tony Visconti, won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album. In 2010, she released Õÿö, featuring tributes to music from her childhood, which earned a Grammy nomination.

• Her live performance album Spirit Rising was released in 2012, recorded during a PBS Special in Boston. The 2014 album Eve was dedicated to African women and won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album.

• On 31 March 2015, she released Angélique Kidjo Sings with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg, winning another Grammy Award. In 2014, she co-wrote a memoir Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music, published by HarperCollins.

• On 17 January 2014, she premiered IFÉ: Three Yoruba Songs with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg, composed by Philip Glass. The piece made its American premiere with the San Francisco Symphony on July 10, 2015.

• In 2018, she released Remain in Light, a re-imagining of Talking Heads’ 1980 album with African musical influences. In 2019, she released Celia, a tribute to Cuban singer Celia Cruz, winning the Grammy Award for Best World Music Album.

• Her 2021 album Mother Nature featured collaborations with young African artists and received international recognition.

• In 1996, Angélique Kidjo performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo honoring East Timor leaders Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta.

• In 1998, she joined Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair tour, which featured female musicians across North America in a series of concerts.

• In 2002, Kidjo again performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, this time honoring former United States President Jimmy Carter.

• In February 2003, she sang Jimi Hendrix’s “Voodoo Child” at Radio City Music Hall with Buddy Guy and Vernon Reid.

• In November 2003, she performed with Peter Gabriel and Youssou N’Dour at the Cape Town 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela Foundation. In May 2004, she sang at Quincy Jones’s “We Are The Future” concert in Rome, which drew around 400,000 people.

• In 2005, she participated in Africa Unite Live in Addis Ababa and Africa Live in Dakar, both celebrating African music and unity.

• In June 2005, Kidjo joined the Live 8 concert at the Eden Project in Cornwall, United Kingdom, hosted by Angelina Jolie.

• In 2007, she toured North America extensively as part of Josh Groban’s “Awake” concert tour. On July 7, 2007, she performed in Johannesburg during the South African leg of the worldwide Live Earth concerts.

• In July 2008, she sang at Quincy Jones’s 75th Birthday Celebration at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland.

• On 1 November 2008, Kidjo made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York City. On November 26, 2008, she performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall with Hugh Masekela at the “African Stars” concert for VSO.

• On 20 January 2009, she performed at the Peace Ball in Washington, D.C., during Barack Obama’s inauguration celebrations.

• On 12 April 2009, Kidjo made her Sydney Opera House debut in Australia. In July 2009, she joined the “Sing the Truth” tour, a tribute to Nina Simone, alongside Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, and Simone.

• On 23 October 2009, she sang at the United Nations General Assembly during the UN Day Concert “A Tribute to Peacekeeping.” On December 4, 2009, she performed “Agolo” at the FIFA World Cup Final Draw in Cape Town, South Africa

• On 15 February 2010, Kidjo sang in Vancouver during the Winter Olympic Games at Place de la Francophonie.

• On 10 June 2010, she participated in the official FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert in South Africa with international artists. On 11 November 2010, Kidjo presented her “Sound of the Drum” show at Carnegie Hall featuring Youssou N’Dour and Omara Portuondo.

• On 10 December 2011, she performed in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman.

• On 28 February 2012, she headlined the United Nations General Assembly Hall concert “Raise Your Voice to End Female Genital Mutilation.” On 18 June 2012, Kidjo sang at Amnesty International’s “Electric Burma” concert in Dublin honoring Aung San Suu Kyi.

• On 21 July, 2012, she performed at the BT River of Music Festival in London during the Olympic Games celebrations.

• On 9 October 2012, Kidjo sang at the One World Concert in Syracuse, New York, honoring the Dalai Lama. On 5 November 2014, she presented a “Mama Africa” tribute concert to Miriam Makeba at Carnegie Hall in New York.

• On  5 May 2017, she staged her “Remain in Light” concert at Carnegie Hall, reinterpreting Talking Heads’ classic album.

• On 23 July 2021, Kidjo performed John Lennon’s “Imagine” with John Legend and Hans Zimmer at the Tokyo Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

• On 30 September  2021, she performed at the opening ceremony of Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

• On 12 September 2022, Kidjo delivered the 1,000th Tiny Desk Concert for NPR Music in Washington, D.C.

• In 2023, she launched her 40th anniversary world tour starting at London’s Royal Albert Hall with guests Youssou N’Dour and Laura Mvula.

• Kidjo has appeared on various TV shows, including Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher (2003) and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (2010).