Angelique Kidjo established her place as a fixture in the world music scene with a chart-topping album in 1991 with Logozo. The album still ranks amongst the best dance albums of all time.
Kidjo was born and raised in Benin, where she began performing in her Mother’s theater group and singing by the age of six. A successful album as a teen led to the artist touring throughout Africa, but political troubles in Benin forced Kidjo to relocate to Paris, where she studied music.
Singing with the jazz rock band Pili Pili, she became one of the most popular singers in Paris, and that is where Chris Blackwell heard her, leading to the recordinging of the 1991 chart-topper.
Angelique Kidjo relied on modern technology and electronics for her first three international albums before returning to her roots in the mid 90s, when she returned to Benin to record the country’s traditional musicians and singers.
She followed this with a trilogy that explored the roots of African American music, including hip-hop, soul and jazz.In 2007 Kidjo won her first Grammy with Djin Djin, an album that paired her with a wide range of popular singers from around the world.
Mother Nature, released in 2021 is Angelique Kidjo’s first album of all original material in seven years. Featuring collaborations with a new generation of world music artists, the album won this years Grammy in the Best World Music Album category.
