| Angélique Kidjo | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo[1][2][3] |
| Born | July 14, 1960 , Ouidah, Benin |
| Genres | Afropop, Afrobeat, reggae, world, world fusion, worldbeat, jazz, gospel, Latin |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1982–present |
| Labels | Island, Mango, PolyGram, Columbia, Razor & Tie |
| Website | www.kidjo.com |
Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo,[1][2][3] commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva".[4] The BBC has included Angelique in its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures[5]. The Guardian has listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World[6] and Angelique is the first woman listed in Forbes Magazine's "The 40 Most Powerful Celebrities In Africa"[7]
Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles; as well as her childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana. She has recorded George Gershwin's "Summertime", Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child" and The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter", and has collaborated with Dave Matthews and the Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Price, Alicia Keys, Branford Marsalis, Robbie Nevil, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Carlos Santana, John Legend, Herbie Hancock and Cassandra Wilson. Kidjo's hits include the songs "Agolo", "We We", "Adouma", "Wombo Lombo", "Afirika", "Batonga", and her version of "Malaika".
Kidjo is fluent in Fon, French, Yorùbá, and English and sings in all four languages; she also has her own personal language which includes words that serve as song titles such as "Batonga". Malaika is a song sung in Swahili language. She often utilizes Benin's traditional Zilin vocal technique and jazz vocalese. She now resides in New York City, New York, United States[8]
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Kidjo was born in Cotonou, Benin. Her father is from the Fon people of Ouidah and her mother from the Yoruba people. She grew up listening to Beninese traditional music, Miriam Makeba, James Brown, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Santana. By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother's theatre troupe,[9] giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance. She started singing in her school band Les Sphinx and found success as a teenager with her adaptation of Miriam Makeba's "Les Trois Z" which played on national radio. She recorded the album Pretty with the Cameroonian producer Ekambi Brilliant and her brother Oscar. It featured the songs Ninive, Gbe Agossi and a tribute to the singer Bella Bellow, one of her role models. The success of the album allowed her to tour all over West Africa. Continuing political conflicts in Benin prevented her from being an independent artist in her own country and led her to relocate to Paris in 1983.
While working various day jobs to pay for her tuition, Angélique studied music at the CIM, a reputable Jazz school in Paris where she met and married musician and producer Jean Hebrail with whom she has composed most of her music. She started out as a backup singer in local bands. In 1985, she became the frontsinger of the known Euro-African jazz/rock band Jasper van't Hof's Pili Pili. Three Pili Pili studio albums followed: Jakko (1987) Be In Two Minds (1988, produced by Marlon Klein) and Hotel Babo (1990). By the end of the 1980s, she had become one of the most popular live performers in Paris and recorded a solo album called Parakou for the Open Jazz Label. She was then discovered in Paris by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell who signed her in 1991. She recorded four albums for Island until Chris Blackwell's departure from the label. In 2000 she was signed in New York by Columbia Records for which she recorded two albums.
Her first album for Island Records was recorded between Miami and Paris and produced by Miami Sound Machine drummer Joe Galdo and featuring Branford Marsalis and Manu DiBango on saxophones. it was released worldwide in 1991 and reached number one on the Billboard World Music chart. Music videos for the singles "We We" and "Batonga" were released and Angélique made her first world tour, appearing at many festivals and headlining the Olympia Hall in Paris on October 31, 1992.
Released in 1994, the album Ayé was produced by David Z. at Prince's Paisley Park Studio in Minneapolis and by Will Mowat at Soul To Soul studio in London. It includes the single "Agolo", which gave Angélique her first Grammy nomination.
Angélique and Jean Hebrail traveled all over Benin in 1995 to record the traditional rhythms that would form the base for the Fifa album. Carlos Santana appears on "Naima", a piece Angélique wrote for her daughter. The single "Wombo Lombo" and its video was a big success all over Africa in 1996.
In 1998 she started a trilogy of albums (Oremi, Black Ivory Soul and Oyaya) exploring the African roots of the music of the Americas.
Produced by Peter Mokran and Jean Hebrail, recorded in New York, Oremi is a collection of songs mixing African and African American influences. Cassandra Wilson, Branford Marsalis, Kelly Price and Kenny Kirkland collaborated with Angelique on this project. The opening track is a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child".
In 2002 Angelique traveled to Salvador de Bahia to start recording the Axe percussion grooves for this album, based on Afro-Brazilian culture. She worked with songwriters Carlinhos Brown and Vinicius Cantuaria. On the Brazilian version of the album Gilberto Gil joined her on "Refavela" and Daniella Mercury on "Tumba". Dave Matthews appears on the song "Iwoya".
Produced by Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and by the pianist Alberto Salas, released in 2004, Oyaya! mixes Latin and Caribbean music with African guitars. The French Guyanese Henri Salvador, who was 86 at the time of the recording, joined Angélique on the song "Le Monde Comme Un Bebe".
Angélique Kidjo released the album Djin Djin on May 1, 2007. Many guests appear on the album including Josh Groban, Carlos Santana, Alicia Keys, Joss Stone, Peter Gabriel, Amadou and Mariam, Ziggy Marley, and Branford Marsalis. The title refers to the sound of a bell in Africa that greets each new day. The album, produced by Tony Visconti, won a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music album and a Naacp Image Award for Outstanding World Music album.
Õÿö, released in Europe on January 19, 2010 and in America on April 6, 2010, pays tribute to the music of Angélique's childhood in Benin. It mixes traditional music, Miriam Makeba's songs, classic soul of the 60's and 70's and even a Bollywood song. Dianne Reeves appears on Aretha Franklin's "Baby I Love You", Bono and John Legend on Curtis Mayfield's "Move On Up, for which she recorded a video[10] with the FELA! dancers and Roy Hargrove on Santana's Samba Pa Ti. Produced by Angélique and Jean Hebrail, the album was arranged in conjunction with the Beninese guitarist Lionel Loueke. Õÿö was nominated for Best Contemporary World Music Album for the 53rd Grammy Awards.
She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002. With UNICEF, she has travelled to many countries in Africa. Reports on her visits can be found on the UNICEF site: Benin, Senegal, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Syria, Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Haiti.
Kidjo founded The Batonga Foundation which gives girls a secondary school and higher education so they can take the lead in changing Africa. The foundation is doing this by granting scholarships, building secondary schools, increasing enrollment, improving teaching standards, providing school supplies, supporting mentor programs, exploring alternative education models and advocating for community awareness of the value of education for girls.
She has campaigned for Oxfam at the 2005 Hong Kong WTO meeting, for the their Fair Trade Campaign and travelled with them in North Kenya and at the border of Darfur and Chad with a group of women leaders in 2007 and participated to the video for the In My Name Campaign with Will I Am from The Black Eyed Peas
She has hosted the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in Alexandria, Egypt on November 26, 2007 and on November 15, 2008, in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on November 14, 2009 and in Mauritius Island on Nov 20th 2010. She hosted the "Africa Celebrates Democracy Concert" organized by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation in Tunis on Nov 11th 2011 and sung at the Award Ceremony on Nov 12th.
More recently, since March 2009, Angélique Kidjo has been campaigning for "Africa for women's rights". This campaign was launched by The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH),
On September 28, 2009, UNICEF and Pampers launched a campaign to eradicate Tetanus "Give The Gift Of Life" and asked Angélique to produce the song You Can Count On Me to support the campaign. Each download of the song will donate a vaccine to a mother or a mother to be.
Along with Jessica Biel and Peter Wentz, she is one of the LiveEarth Ambassadors for the 2010 Run For Water events
Angélique has recorded a video based on her song Agolo and on the images of Yann Arthus-Bertrand for the United Nations SEAL THE DEAL Campaign to prepare for the Copenhagen Climate Change summit.
The Commission of the African Union (AU) announced on July 16, 2010, the appointment of Angelique Kidjo as one of the 14 Peace Ambassadors to support the implementation of the 2010 Year of Peace and Security programme.
Angelique appears in the Sudan365: Keep the Promise video to support the peace process in Darfur.
She also supports the Zeitz Foundation, an organization focused on sustainable development and conservation.
In June 2010, she contributed the song "Leila" to the Enough Project and Downtown Records' Raise Hope for Congo compilation. Proceeds from the compilation fund efforts to make the protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority, as well as inspire individuals around the world to raise their voice for peace in Congo.
In 2011, she collaborated with Forró in the Dark and Brazilian Girls on the track Aquele Abraço for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot + Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
In 1996 she performed in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring Carlos Filipe Ximenes Belo and José Ramos-Horta for their work in East Timor
IN 1998, she was part of the Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour
In 2002 she performed in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring President Jimmy Carter
In February 2003, she performed a cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" at the famed Radio City Music Hall in New York City alongside Chicago blues guitar legend Buddy Guy and New York rock guitarist Vernon Reid (of Living Colour) in what would become part of "Lightning In A Bottle: One Night In The History Of The Blues", a documentary about blues music that features live concert footage of other rock, rap, and blues greats.
In November, 2003 she sang with Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'Dour at the Cape Town 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela's Foundation.
In May 2004, she performed at the Quincy Jones produced concert in Rome called We Are The Future in front of 400,000 people. The show took place at the Circus Maximus with appearance from Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock and other international stars.
In 2005, she appeared at the Africa Unite Live concert in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a concert to celebrate Hon Bob Marley's 60th birthday, and was a featured speaker at the conference of African Unity held along with the concert.
In March 2005, she appeared at the Africa Live concert in Dakar along with many great African stars in front of 50,000 people.
In June 2005, she was part of the Live 8 concert, Eden Project hosted by Angelina Jolie in Cornwall, UK.
In 2007, she covered John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)" for the CD Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.
In 2007, she toured North America extensively with Josh Groban's "Awake" show.
On July 7, 2007, Kidjo performed at the South African leg of Live Earth.
Annie Lennox has joined forces with Angélique Kidjo and 22 other female artists to raise the awareness of the transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa.
Kidjo was also a judge for the 7th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.[11]
Angélique performed at the 75th Birthday Celebration of Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2008
She made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York on November 1, 2008
Her Royal Albert Hall debut in London was on November 26, 2008 along with Hugh Masekela for the "African Stars" concert benefitting VSO
She appears on the "Price of Silence" video produced by Amnesty International to celebrate the 60 years of the Declaration of Human Rights
Along with Joan Baez, Michael Franti and Jackson Browne, she performed at Peace Ball for Barack Obama's inauguration in Washington, DC on January 20, 2009.
Angélique made her Sydney Opera House debut in Australia on April 12, 2009
She appears in the theatrical performance of "Storie fantastiche dal delta del Niger" by Raffaele Curi for the Alda Fendi Experimenti Foundation in Roma in April 2009
Also in April 2009, she performed at Africa Day in The Hague, The Netherlands, showing her commitment to poverty reduction and supporting the work of the Evert Vermeer Foundation and SNV Netherlands Development Organisation. Angélique commented, “In the fight against poverty you need organisations like SNV and the Evert Vermeer Foundation. SNV with expertise on the ground and EVF convincing politicians to do more on sustainable development.” [12] In July 2009, Angélique became a member of the SNV Netherlands Development Organisation International Advisory Board.[13]
In Europe in July 2009, along with Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Simone, Angélique was part of a touring tribute to Nina Simone called "Sing The Truth"
In July, 2009 she sang a duet with Alicia Keys at Radio City Hall in New York for the 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela's Foundation
On August 28, 29 and 30, 2009,she participated to the Back2Black Festival devoted to African culture in Rio De Janeiro along with Gilberto Gil, Youssou N'Dour and Omara Portuondo.
On September 25, 26 and 27, 2009, The Festival D'Ile De France in Paris asked Angélique to curate a tribute to her idol Miriam Makeba at the Cirque d'hiver. She invited Rokia Traore, Dobet Gnaore, Sayon Bamba Camara, Vusi Mahlasela, Asa and Ayo. She curated another version of the same show at the Barbican in London on November 21, 2009 in which Baaba Maal replaced Rokia Traore.
On October 23, 2009, she sung at the United Nations General Assembly for the UN Day Concert, A Tribute to Peacekeeping with Nile Rodgers, John McLaughlin and Lang Lang
On December 4, 2009, in Cape Town, South Africa, she performed her song Agolo at the Final Draw of the Fifa World Cup 2010
On December 7, 2009, on the opening day of the UN Copenhagen Climate Change summit, Angelique sung, along with Anggun, Shaggy, Youssou N'Dour and Cheb Khaled, at the Dance 4 Climate Change concert.
On February 15, 2010, Angélique performed in Vancouver for the Winter Olympics Games at the Place De La Francophonie
On February 28, 2010, she performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Los Angeles Philharmonic concert hall designed by Frank Gehry
On June 10, 2010, she was part of the Official Kick-Off Celebration Concert of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa along with John Legend, Hugh Masekela, Shakira, Alicia Keys, Juanes and Black Eyed Peas
On June 17, 2010, she performed at Les FrancoFolies de Montréal - the Montreal Francofolies festival of French-language music.
On August 30, 2010, Angelique sung at the 30th Anniversary celebration of Solidarnosc in the Polish city of Gdansk produced by Bob Wilson and Hal Willner featuring Philip Glass, Marianne Faithfull, Rufus Wainwright and Macy Gray.
On November 11, 2010, Angelique presented her "Sound Of The Drum" show at Carnegie Hall. The sold out concert featured special guests Youssou N'Dour, Omara Portuondo, Dianne Reeves and guitarist Romero Lumbambo and told the story of the African roots of the music of the diaspora.
From December 10 until December 19, 2010, Angelique participated to the Fesman 2010, the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar, Senegal. The Festival is the third edition of a festival devoted to the African culture all over the world.
She was one of the performers at the BET Honours Awards in February 2011
On June 8, 2011, Angelique performed her most famous songs with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra at the Philharmonie Luxembourg Hall.
On October 1st, 2011, she created a special concert based on Beninese traditional songs with guest guitarist Lionel Loueke for the "Heroic Africans" exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of New York.
On October 27th, 2011 Angelique performed at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival in Qatar, following the screening of "Mama Africa", a documentary on Miriam Makeba's life.
On December 10th, 2011 she sung "Malaika" in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony honoring Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakul Karman. She also performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert the next day along with Janelle Monae, Evanescence, Sugarland, Jill Scott and many others. The event was hosted by Helen Mirren and Rosario Dawson.
Kidjo also recorded songs for various movies, TV shows and documentaries, among them:
My Favourite Season by André Téchiné with Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil
Ace Ventura with Jim Carrey
Streetfighter with Jean Claude Van Damme
The Air Up There with Kevin Bacon
Bimboland with Gerard Depardieu
Krippendorf Tribe with Richard Dreyfus
Sahara with Penélope Cruz
Changing Times by André Téchiné with Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve
Blood Diamond (film) with Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo Di Caprio
Pray the Devil Back To Hell which won the prize for Best Documentary at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.
Le Code A Changé by Danielle Thompson / Angélique is featured singing in the movie.
Angélique has appeared on Later with Jools Holland, the Late Show with David Letterman in 2007, the Tonight show with Jay Leno in 2007, Now with Bill Moyers in 2002 Politically Incorrect with Bill Mayer in 2003 CBS Early Show in 2007. She has been interviewed by Sir David Frost for Al Jazeera in 2008 and Christine Amanpour for CNN in 2009. She was the host of Tavis Smiley on PBS in March 2010 and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon in July 2010
Grammy nominations include the Best Music Video of 1995 and Best World Music Album in 1999, 2003, 2005, 2010 and 2007, for which she won.
Angélique Kidjo is the 4th laureate of the Antonio Carlos Jobim Award (2007). Created in 2004 on the 25th anniversary of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, each year the award is given to an artist distinguished in the field of world music whose influence on the evolution of jazz and cultural crossover is widely recognized.
Angélique's music has been remixed by famous producers including Norman Cook (We We) and Tricky (Agolo). Several of her singles have reached the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart. In 1996, Junior Vasquez remixes of her song "Wombo Lombo" brought the song to #16. In 2002, King Britt remixes of her single "Tumba" helped the song reach #26. "Agolo" was remixed by Mark Kinchen, "Shango" was remixed by Junior Vasquez, and "Conga Habanera" was remixed by Jez Colin. "Salala" from Djin Djin was remixed in 2007 by Junior Vasquez and Radioactive Sandwich.[3]. Move On Up was remixed by Radioclit, the team from The Very Best.