Angelique Kidjo

“Africa’s premier diva” -Time Magazine

“Her spirit is irrepressible, and she brings life to everything she touches.”
– Peter Gabriel

Grammy Award-winning vocalist/activist Angelique Kidjo is the African continent’s most internationally celebrated female musical exponent. And yet, the Grammy-winning artist has lived outside Africa for more than two decades. She currently resides in New York City, where she is an exceptionally active member of the music scene, and she reaches people around the world with her recordings, tours and philanthropic work. On her new album, Kidjo revisits the music that was instrumental in her artistic formation in Benin, the country whose communist dictatorship she fled in the early ‘80s. The disc, entitled Oyo, is set for release on February 9, 2010.

Although Oyo is primarily comprised of covers, the music is instantly recognizable as Kidjo’s: the tantalizing blend of African songs with American soul and funk permeates the album. Recorded and mixed by Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, The Roots, Erykah Badu) and produced by Kidjo and longtime collaborator Jean Hebrail, Oyo features a band of highly accomplished musicians, including another Benin-born, New York-based artist, the guitarist Lionel Loueke, as well as Christian McBride on upright bass, Kendrick Scott on drums and Thiokho Diagne on percussion. The trumpeter Roy Hargove makes a memorable appearance on “Samba Pa Ti.” While not a part of her touring band, these artists give the record a collaborative edge that fits Kidjo’s musical vision perfectly.

• She displays her powerful vocals on “Malaika”

• Kidjo’s high-energy show is on display in this 1994 TV appearance