Born Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Housinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, the singer was immersed in traditional Beninese music as a child, as well as the sounds of Mriam Makeba, James Brown, Manu Dibango, Otis Redding, and Jimi Hendrix. By the age of six, Kidjo had joined her mother’s theatre troupe which expanded the singer’s influences, before joining her school band Les Sphinx. In 1981 whilst still residing in Benin, Kidjo released her debut album “Pretty” in collaboration with producer Ekambi Brilliant and brother Oscar. The singer supported the release by touring all over West Africa, before conflicts in Benin resulted in Kidjo relocating to Paris, France.
After graduating with a music degree from the jazz school CIM, Kidjo fronted the Euro-African band Pili Pili, whom she release three albums with: 1987’s “Jakko”, 1988’s “Be In Two Minds”, and 1990’s “Hotel Babo”. This period of activity made the adaptable singer one of the most revered live acts in Paris, and resulted in her signing with Island Records in 1991. Her major label debut “Logozo” was issued the same year, produced by Miami Sound Machine drummer Joe Galdo. Aided by the singles “We We” and “Batongo” the album topped the Billboard World Music chart upon release, and was supported by her first international tour.
The album “Ayé” followed in 1994 produced by David Z of Prince fame, spawning the worldwide hit single “Agolo”. 1995’s “Fifa” marked an alternative recording approach from Kidjo who opted to use eight-track tape recorders and microphones. The singer and her team of engineers headed to Benin to record a host of rhythms, vocals, and dancers, which added a wealth of character and depth to the album style. Kidjo’s subsequent album “Oremi” saw a return to the progressive, cross-genre appeal of her earlier albums, adopting the sounds of hip-hop, Afro-Celtic, and rock in various forms.
On top of her own releases, the singer has been known to contribute her music to popular culture soundtracks, including: “Ace Ventura”, “Street Fighter”, “The Simpsons”, “Krippendorf Tribe”, and “Blood Diamond”. After a move to Columbia Records, Kidjo released the album “Black Ivory Soul” which features Carlinhos Brown, Vinicius Cantuária, Daniella Mercury, and Dave Matthews. The full-length “Oyaya!” arrived in 2004, followed by a pair of collaborative albums with Razor & Tie: “Djin Djin” in 2007 and “Ōÿö” in 2010, featuring Roy Hargrove, John Legend, and Diana Reeves. As a tribute to the beauty and resilience of African women Kidjo release the studio album “Eve” in January 2014. Like her album “Fifa”, “Eve” was recorded in West Africa using only tape recorders and topped the Billboard World Music Chart.
Angelique, Kpasseloko Hinto Housinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjol, or simple, Angelique Kidjo, is an extremely talented, well-respected artist from Benein. Dubbed as “Africa’s premier diva” by Time Magazine, she has so much talent that she wears the title proudly. She uses a blend of traditional Beninoise music with modern music; and despite being multi-lingual, she also has made up parts of her own language to fit with the uniqueness of her music.
During her live performances, she brings her culture to the foreground. The stage is set with decorations, the instrumentals are intermixed with African percussion, and the backup choir that she has supporting her is dressed in beautiful cultural garb. Much of the crowd is very excited with anticipation before she takes the stage, and when she does the entire venue becomes so lively. Angelique utilizes the entire stage, not only moving around, but dancing as well. She is very humble, and speaks quite often between songs. Sometimes she speaks about her cultural influences on a specific song, other times about the origin of where part of a song may have come from. Her shows are not just musically entertaining; they also have a cultural education aspect to them as well.
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