Angélique Kidjo

A proud daughter of Africa, Angélique Kidjo has spent decades elevating the continent’s rich sonic lineage onto the world stage. Born in Ouidah, Benin, into a creative household with her father a Fon musician and her mother a Yoruba theater director, she made her performance debut at just six years old. Political instability at home eventually prompted her move to Paris in 1983, where her artistic vision gained powerful international momentum.

Her distinctive sound seamlessly bridges traditional West African elements, such as the intricate Zilin vocal technique, with jazz, funk, Latin, and pop rhythms. A true polyglot in her craft, she moves fluidly across languages, singing in Fon, Yoruba, French, English, and Gen, while frequently interweaving her own invented vocal expressions.

Over an extraordinary career, she has released milestone projects like Logozo (1991), Ayé (1994), Djin Djin (2007), Eve (2014), Celia (2019), Mother Nature (2021), and Hope!! (2026), while collaborating with a diverse roster of icons including Carlos Santana, Philip Glass, Alicia Keys, Burna Boy, Peter Gabriel, and Yo-Yo Ma. Her immense talent has earned her five Grammy Awards, the Polar Music Prize, and a spot on the Time 100 list. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame stands as yet another stone in her crown, cementing her status as a global legend.

Beyond music, Kidjo remains deeply committed to advocacy and human rights. A UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, she established The Batonga Foundation in 2006 to equip young women across Africa with essential education, financial skills, and community support. From the Tokyo Olympics and the UN General Assembly to the Nobel Peace Prize Concerts, she continually leverages worldwide platforms to champion empowerment, art, and unity.