31 Things You Need To know About 4 Time Grammys Award Winner Angelique Kidjo

Angelique Kidjo is a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist who is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Angelique Kidjo

Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles.

While growing some of her greatest music role models, influences include Fela Anikulapo Kuti, childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Celia Cruz, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana.

Here are 31 incredible feats of Angelique Kidjo the World needs to know about;

  1. Angelique Kidjo was Born In Ouidah, July 1960 In Benin.
  2. Angelique has released 13 different albums
  3. She has been a UNICEF Ambassador since 2002
  4. Angelique’s first album Logozo is ranked number 37 in the Greatest Dance Albums of All Time, Logozo topped the billboard world music charts as number 1 in 1991.
  5. She got her first Grammy nomination in 1994 for her 2nd album Aye, the album featured the “Agolo”.
  6. In 1995, She dropped a “FIFA” themed album, which featured Mexican great Carlos Santana.
  7. Angelique released a trilogy of album (Oremi, Black Ivory Soul and Oyaya) from 1998 to 2000, outrageous!
  8. Angelique has worked with some of the greatest music stars of all time see list; Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix, Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Price, Alicia Keys, Branford Marsalis, Ziggy Marley, Philip Glass, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Carlos Santana, John Legend, Herbie Hancock, Josh Groban, Dr. John, the Kronos Quartet, Yemi Alade, Cassandra Wilson.
  9. Angelique is fluent In 5 different languages, Yoruba, French, English, Fon, Gen {Mina}. she also has her own personal language, which includes words that serve as song titles such as “Batonga”.
  10. Djin Djin was her 7th album released 1st of May 2007, the album gave her, her first Grammy Awards. The album won a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music Album and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding World Music album.
  11. She worked with Nigerian singer Asa on her 10th album “EVE”.
  12. Her 10th studio album “EVE” which was a combination of both studio works and field harmonies detailing different women chants across Africa from Kenya, Benin, South Africa and Tanzania.
  13. When Released ‘EVE’ The album debuted at number 1 in the Billboard World Music chart and was rated #1 in the Top 12 of World Music albums for 2014 by Radio France Internationale.
  14. The opening track on “EVE”, “M’Baamba”, featured in the New York Times′ “Top 10 songs of 2014” list.
  15. Angelique’s 10th album “EVE” was nominated for the Grammys for Best World Music Album at the 57th Grammy Awards and won.
  16. Angélique Kidjo SINGS with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg, which is her 11th album, featured on the album herself singing in superlative Swahili vocals. 
  17. On her 11th album, she was backed by the strings and wind instruments of the 110-piece Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.
  18. Her 11th album also earned her, her 3rd Grammy’s Award, where she won the Grammy Award in the Best World Music Album category for the 3rd time.
  19. On Angelique’s 12th album which was produced by Jeff Bhasker (Rihanna, Kanye West, Harry Styles, Bruno Mars, Drake, Jay-Z) to create Remain In Light.
  20. Angelique’s last album Cecila, which just won another Grammy’s Award for ahead of Nigeria’s Afrofusion singer Burna, was given a 5-star rating by The Financial Times.
  21. Celia was released on the 19th of April 2019 and has won Kidjo her 4th Grammy’s award in the World Music Album category.
  22. Angelique Kidjo has 10 different Grammy nominations times spanning over 26 years.
  23. Angelique has won the Grammy’s Award 4 times, for the Best World Album.
  24. Her book and memoir ‘Rising Spirit, My Life, My Music’, published on January 7, 2014, was prefaced by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Alicia Keys wrote the Foreword.
  25. In 2002, she performed in Oslo for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert honoring President Jimmy Carter.
  26. She 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 on November 20, 2010.
  27. Kidjo founded the Batonga Foundation meant to empower women’s rights, education across Africa along with Mary Louise Cohen and John R. Phillips.
  28. In 2018 2018, Angelique Kidjo sung Bella Bellow’s song Blewu under the Arc De Triomphe of Paris in front of 70 Heads of States and a television audience of millions to pay tribute to the fallen African soldiers of the war.
  29. Kidjo is married French musician and producer Jean Hébrail since 1987 and has a daughter together daughter Naima who was born in France in 1993.
  30. Some of Angelique’s song has been used for several Hollywood movies some which include; Lion King 2, Ace Ventura, Six Feet Under, Streetfighter, Sahara.
  31. Angelique has received the Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role from the African Movie Academy Awards for her role in Nigerian Filmmaker Kunle Afolayan’s movie, The CEO Photo Credit: Getty

Leave a Reply