- Born:
- July 14, 1960, Ouidah, Dahomey [now Benin] (age 66)
- Awards And Honors:
- Grammy Award (2007)
Angélique Kidjo
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Who is Angélique Kidjo?
Angélique Kidjo, born on July 14, 1960, is a Beninese singer celebrated for her collaborations with prominent musicians and her innovative blending of musical styles.
Kidjo's musical journey began early, performing in her mother's theatre troupe at age six and later with her brothers' band. By 20, she was a professional singer, releasing her first album, Pretty, in 1988.
In 1983, she moved to Paris, where she explored diverse musical styles and met her future husband, Jean Hebrail. Her album Logozo (1991) addressed global issues and achieved international success. Kidjo's subsequent albums continued to fuse genres like jazz, hip-hop, and Beninese traditions. She is also an advocate for education and healthcare for women and children, serving as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador since 2002.
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Where is Angélique Kidjo from?
Angélique Kidjo was born in Ouidah, Dahomey (now Benin), on July 14, 1960. From a family of performing artists, she began performing at age six in her mother's theatre troupe and, as a teenager, sang with her brothers in their rock–rhythm-and-blues band. By age 20, Kidjo was a professional singer. In 2002, UNICEF named Kidjo one of its goodwill ambassadors.
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What style of music does Angélique Kidjo sing?
Angélique Kidjo, a Beninese singer, is known for blending diverse musical styles. Her music incorporates elements of jazz, hip-hop, zouk, Zairean rumba, samba, salsa, funk, gospel, Cameroonian makossa, and various Beninese traditions. Her style is also described as Afropop. Kidjo's albums often address global issues and are sung in multiple languages, including English, Fon, Yoruba, and French.
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What languages does Angélique Kidjo perform in?
Angélique Kidjo is a Beninese singer known for blending diverse musical styles and collaborating with prominent musicians. Her native language is Fon, but she performs in English, Yoruba, and French. Her album Fifa (1995) included songs in all four languages. Kidjo's advocacy extends to education and healthcare for women and children, and she was named a UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2002. French is Benin's official language.
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What are some important awards Angélique Kidjo has won?
Angélique Kidjo, born in Benin, is known for blending diverse musical styles and collaborating with prominent musicians.
Kidjo's album Eve (2014), a tribute to African women sung in Beninese languages, won a Grammy Award for best world music album, as did Sings (2015), a collaboration with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxembourg.
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How has Angélique Kidjo influenced world music and culture?
Angélique Kidjo, born in Benin, is known for her collaborations with prominent musicians and her innovative blending of musical styles.
Kidjo's music addresses global issues, and her albums blend genres like jazz, hip-hop, zouk, rumba, samba, funk, and gospel. Her album Black Ivory Soul (2002) explored Brazilian musical forms, mixing Latin sounds with West African rhythms. Djin Djin (2007) featured collaborations with artists such as Peter Gabriel and Carlos Santana.
Kidjo is an advocate for education and healthcare for women and children, and UNICEF named her a goodwill ambassador in 2002. She was also elected as a vice president of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers in 2013.
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Angélique Kidjo (born July 14, 1960, Ouidah, Dahomey [now Benin]) is a Beninese popular singer known for her collaborations with internationally prominent popular musicians and for her innovative blending of diverse musical styles.
Kidjo was born into a family of performing artists. Her father was a musician, and her mother worked as a choreographer and theatre director. At age six Kidjo began performing in her mother’s theatre troupe, and, as a teenager, she sang with her brothers in their rock–rhythm-and-blues band. By age 20 she was a professional singer. She recorded her first album, Pretty, in 1988.
In 1983 Kidjo moved to Paris, where she encountered a vibrant musical community and myriad musical styles with which to experiment; in Paris she also met Jean Hebrail, the French producer, composer, and bassist whom she later married. Her first years in the city were spent studying jazz and performing with various local groups. After teaming with the Dutch pianist Jasper van ’t Hof, she sang with and cowrote songs for his jazz group, Pili-Pili.
After several years Kidjo left Pili-Pili and recorded Logozo (1991), which featured the American jazz musician Branford Marsalis and the African artists Manu Dibango and Ray Lema. With songs addressing issues of global concern—such as homelessness, the environment, freedom, and integration—Logozo was an international success. Kidjo increased her international appeal through her later releases, including Fifa (1995), in which she and more than 100 other musicians performed songs in English, Fon (her native language), Yoruba, and French.
Like her earlier releases, Kidjo’s subsequent albums were exercises in musical fusion, melding an array of genres, including jazz, hip-hop, zouk, Zairean rumba, samba, salsa, funk, gospel, Cameroonian makossa, and various Beninese traditions. Her sixth solo album, Black Ivory Soul (2002), was a dazzling excursion into Brazilian musical forms that deftly blended a Latin sound sensibility with traces of traditional West African rhythms. Oyaya! (2004) included a collaboration with American musician Dave Matthews, and Djin Djin (2007) featured numerous luminaries from the international popular music scene, including Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, Carlos Santana, and others. Õÿö (2010) was an album of covers, and Spirit Rising (2012) was a collection of live tracks. Eve (2014), a tribute to African women largely sung in Beninese languages, won a Grammy Award for best world music album, as did Sings (2015), a collaboration with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Luxembourg. In 2018 Kidjo covered the Talking Heads album Remain in Light (1980), and the following year she paid homage to Cuban American singer Celia Cruz with Celia. Mother Nature appeared in 2021.
In addition to her recording career, Kidjo was an outspoken advocate of education and health care for women and children. In 2002 UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) named her one of its goodwill ambassadors. She was elected one of four vice presidents of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Confederation Internationale des Sociétés d’Auteurs et Compositeurs; CISAC) in 2013. Kidjo also released a memoir, Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music (2014).