A life devoted to creating a common language between cultures: born on June 14, 1960, in a small town on the coast of Benin, Angélique Kidjo has been dedicated to music from an early age, singing in her native Fon language, as well as in French and English.
Kidjo recorded her debut album, Pretty, in 1981. Due to the political situation in her country, she moved to Paris in 1983.
After returning to explore traditional Beninese music with Fifa (1996), she began working on a trilogy of albums—Oremi (1998), Black Ivory Soul (2002), and Oyaya! (2004)—in which she explored the influence of African rhythms on American music, collaborating with artists such as Kelly Price, Dave Matthews, and Kenny Kirkland. For Djin Djin (2007), she was joined by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Josh Groban, and Amadou & Mariam. The project earned her a Grammy Award—she would go on to win five in total over her career.
In 2014, Kidjo released Eve, dedicated to the resilience of African women. For the album’s creation, she traveled across the continent, recording women singing while they worked. That same year, she published her memoir Spirit Rising, and made her debut with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, performing works composed for her by Philip Glass. A second collaboration led to the album Sings in 2015.
In 2019, she released a set of covers in honor of one of her musical heroes, Celia Cruz. The album earned her another Grammy Award in 2020.
