Biography
Angélique Kidjo ( Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo), born July 14, 1960, is an internationally renowned singer-songwriter, actress and activist from Benin, known for her diverse musical influences.She was born into a family of artists, her father was a musician and her mother worked as a choreographer and theater director. Kidjo began playing music with her mother's theater troupe at a young age and recorded her first album in 1981. In 1983, due to increasing political unrest in Benin, she moved to Paris. There she studied music and continued to record albums, in the 1990s she became world famous with her albums "Logozo" and "Aye". In 2007, Time magazine called her "Africa's leading diva".
Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards to date and has collaborated with many artists including Bono, John Legend, Peter Gabriel, Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana, Josh Groban, Philip Glass, Sting, Ziggy Marley, Burna Boy and Davido.
Kidjo is fluent in five languages: Fon, French, Yorùbá, Gen (Mina) and English. She sings in all these languages, while also having her own personal language, which includes words that serve as song titles such as "Batonga" while often using the traditional Zilin vocal technique of her country.
She uses her music to speak about political and social issues affecting Africa, especially women's rights as she is a passionate advocate for women's rights and education in Africa. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and in 2007, she started the Batonga Foundation, which supports the education and empowerment of girls and young women in Africa.