Angélique Kidjo

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Angélique Kidjo
Photo: Jarle Vines
Background information
Birth name	Angélique Kidjo
Born	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 Kidjo (born on July 14, 1960) is a Grammy Award-winning Beninoise singer-songwriter, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Moving to Paris 3 International career 3.1 Logozo 3.2 Aye 3.3 Fifa 3.4 Oremi 3.5 Black Ivory Soul 3.6 Oyaya! 3.7 Djin Djin 4 Advocacy 5 Events 6 Miscellaneous 7 Discography 8 Soundtracks 9 TV Shows 10 Awards 11 Dance/club hits 12 References 13 External links

[edit] Early life

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 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,^[1] 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.

[edit] Moving to Paris

While working various day jobs to pay for her tuition, Angelique 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.

[edit] International career

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 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 made her own renditions of George Gershwin's "Summertime", Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child", and The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter", and has collaborated with the likes of Dave Matthews and the Dave Matthews Band, Kelly Price, Branford Marsalis, Robbie Nevil, Carlos Santana, 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, Yoruba, 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.

[edit] Logozo

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 Angelique made her first world tour, appearing at many festivals and headlining the Olympia Hall in Paris on the 31st of October 1992.

[edit] Aye

Released in 1994, the album Aye 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 Angelique her first nomination to the Grammys.

[edit] Fifa

Angelique 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 the track called "Naima" that Angelique 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.

[edit] Oremi

Produced by Peter Mokran, 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' Voodoo Child.

[edit] Black Ivory Soul

In 2002 Angelique traveled to Salvador de Bahia to start recording the Axe percussion grooves for this album inspired by the Afro-Brazilian culture. She worked with famous 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.

[edit] Oyaya!

Produced by Steve Berlin from Los Lobos and by the pianist Alberto Salas, released in 2004, Oyaya! is largely inspired by Latin and Caribbean music which is mixed with African guitars. the French Guyanese legend Henri Salvador who was 86 at the time of the recording, joined Angelique on the song "Le Monde Comme Un Bebe".

[edit] Djin Djin

Angelique Kidjo released an album titled 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, Djin Djin, refers to the sound of a bell in Africa that greets each new day. The album is produced by Tony Visconti, who is known for his work with David Bowie, Morrissey, and T. Rex, among others. Djin Djin won a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music album and a Naacp Image Award for Outstanding World Music album.

[edit] Advocacy

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 and in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on November 14th 2009.

More recently, since March 2009, Angelique Kidjo has been campaigning for "Africa for women's rights". This campaign was launched by The International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH),

On Sept 28th 2009, UNICEF and Pampers launched a campaign to eradicate Tetanus "Give The Gift Of Life" and asked Angelique to produce the song You Can Count On Me to support the campaign. Each download of the song will donate a vaccin 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

Angelique 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.

[edit] Events

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 Circo maximo with appearance from Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock and other international stars.

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 7 July 2007, Kidjo performed at the South African leg of Live Earth.

Annie Lennox has joined forces with Angelique 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.^[2]

Angelique performed at the 75th Birthday Celebration of Quincy Jones at the Montreux Jazz Festival in July 2008

Angelique made her Carnegie Hall debut in New York on November 1 2008

Angelique made her Royal Albert Hall debut in London on November 26 2008 along with Hugh Masekela for the "African Stars" concert benefitting VSO

Angelique 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.

Angelique 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

In Europe in July 2009, along with Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright and Simone, Angelique 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 the 28th, 29th and 30th of August 2009,she participated to the Back2Black Festival devoted to African culture in Rio De Janeiro along with Gilberto Gil, Youssou N'Dour and Omara Portuando.

On the 25th, 26th and 27th of September 09, The Festival D'Ile De France in Paris asked Angelique 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 an other version of the same show at the Barbican in London on November 21st 09 in which Baaba Maal replaced Rokia Traore.

On Oct 23rd 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 4th 2009, in Cape Town, South Africa, she performed her song Agolo at the Final Draw of the Fifa World Cup 2010

[edit] Miscellaneous

Her song "Ife" is featured in the montage section in the Jim Carrey film Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

In The Simpsons episode "Simpson Safari", Homer's guide sings lines from Kidjo's "Wé-Wé", from her album Logozo.

Kidjo appeared in a bonus track of the official The Lion King 2 soundtrack, reprising the song "We Are One", featuring a more African influenced arrangement of instruments and several lines in Fon.

She appears on two albums ( African Fantasy and The Beat Of Love) released by the famous Indian drummer Trilok Gurtu.

She has sung the song "Madre Terra" with Italian star Carmen Consoli on her Eva Contro Eva album.

She has sung and produced with Jean Hebrail a track called Easy As Life for Tina Turner on the Elton John and Tim Rice's album Aida.

She has sung Jamaica Farewell with Dan Zanes on his House Party album.

She has collaborated with Philippe Saisse on the song La Vie from his Till Dawn album.

She wrote a song called Wele Wele for the EA video game Fifa 2007

She sang with Debbie Davis on the French version of the Lion King's "Hakuna Matata"

She has covered the U2 song Mysterious Ways on the Africa Celebrate U2 album released in 2008

Carlos Santana covered her song Adouma as the opening song of his Shaman album.

She is singing on Bluesman Taj Mahal's album "Maestro" along with Toumani Diabate

She is singing the African song Safiatou on the Herbie Hancock's album Possibilities

She now resides in New York City, New York, United States^[3]

In 2009, Angelique Kidjo released a version of the song Redemption Song on the compilation album Oh Happy Day: An All-Star Music Celebration.^[4]

She has composed a song called Agbalagba inspired by Uwem Akpan's book Say You Are One Of Them

[edit] Discography

• Pretty (African release only)
• Parakou (1990)
• Logozo (1991)
• Ayé (1994)
• Fifa (1996)
• Oremi (1998)
• Keep On Moving: The Best Of Angelique Kidjo (2001)
• Black Ivory Soul (2002)
• Oyaya! (2004)
• Djin Djin (2007)

[edit] Soundtracks

Kidjo also recorded songs for various movies, Tv shows and documentaries, among them:

Caro Diario by Nanni Moretti

My Favourite Season by Andre Techine with Catherine Deneuve and Daniel Auteuil

Ace Ventura with Jim Carey

Streetfighter with Jean Claude Van Damme

The Air Up There with Kevin Bacon

Krippendorf Tribe with Richard Dreyfus

The Wild Thornberrys Movie

The Truth About Charlie

Sahara with Penélope Cruz

Changing Times by Andre Techine with Gérard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve

Six Feet Under

Without A Trace

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.

Who Does She Think She Is

Le Code A Changé by Danielle Thompson / Angelique is featured singing in the movie.

The Lion King 2

[edit] TV Shows

Angelique has appeared on 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

[edit] Awards

Octave RFI (France, 1992)

Prix Afrique en Creation (France, 1992)

Danish Music Awards: Best Female Singer (Denmark, 1995)

Kora Music Awards: Best African Female artist (Africa, 1997)

Mobo Awards for Best World Music Act (UK, 2002)

Médaille De Vermeil De La Ville De Paris (France, 2004)

Africa-Festival Award (Germany, 2006)

SAFDA African pride Award (South Africa, 2006)

Antonio Carlos Jobim Award (Canada, 2007)

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding World Music Album (USA, 2008)

Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album (USA, 2008)

Go Global World Music Award (Denmark, 2008)

Medal of the Presidency of the Italian Republic (Italy, 2008)

Commander of the National Order of Benin (Benin, 2008)

Making a Difference for Women Award from the National Council for Research on Women (USA, 2009)

Afropop Hall of Fame (USA,2009)

Celebrating Women Award from the New York Women's Foundation (USA, 2009)

Premio Tenco Prize for her entire singing career (Italy, 2009)

Grammy nominations include the Best Music Video of 1995 and Best World Music Album in 1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007.

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.

[edit] Dance/club hits

Angelique'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.[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

1. Official Angélique Kidjo Site
2. The Batonga Foundation
3. Angélique Kidjo on My Space
4. Angélique Kidjo on You Tube
5. Angélique Kidjo on Facebook
6. Angélique Kidjo on Imeem
7. Angélique Kidjo on Eventful
8. Afropop Worldwide interview with Angélique Kidjo, February 2002
9. CNN African Voices profile on Angélique Kidjo, May 2009
10. Performance, 2008 Ottawa Blues Fest