Angélique Kidjo’s four-decade career has been marked by an unapologetic grace and global acclaim, with her 2025 Grammy nomination standing as a testament to the enduring success of authentic African artistry in the professional music world.
On a crisp November evening in 2024, Angélique Kidjo took the stage at Carnegie Hall to celebrate an extraordinary milestone—40 years in the professional music business. The five-time Grammy Award winner’s performance was a testament to her enduring influence and unwavering passion for music that embraces African cultural bounds. With Derrick Hodge conducting The Color of Noize Orchestra, Kidjo’s celebration featured electrifying performances by renowned contemporaries, including Senegal’s Baaba Maal, Nile Rodgers, and Davido.
During our exclusive interview at Carnegie Hall, Kidjo reflected on her remarkable journey and shared, “Music gave me the strength to talk about anything. My music is steeped in the story of resilience, love, and what you can accomplish with very little.” Her words resonated deeply, encapsulating the essence of her four-decade-long career that has seamlessly blended African traditions with global influences.
Over the course of her remarkable 40-year career, Kidjo has earned 15 Grammy nominations, securing six wins along the way. In 1995, she received her first Grammy nomination for “Agolo,” which was recognized in the Best Music Video category. The visual is heralded for its vibrant celebration of Benin culture featuring showcases of Fá deities, costumes adorned with ileke beads, Yoruba-style gele headwraps, and mesmerizing dance routines inspired by the Fon cultural dance, Zinli.
The “Wombo Lombo” songstress swiftly solidified her place on the music globe with subsequent nods for her sixth album Oremi in 1999 and following album, Black Ivory Soul, her 7th in 2003. Her first Grammy win came in 2007 for Best Contemporary World Music Album with Djin Djin, her ninth studio release. The album featured a groundbreaking fusion of African rhythms and Western influences, exemplified by her collaboration with Alicia Keys on the title track.
She went on to win Best World Music Album for Eve in 2014, Sings in 2015, and Celia in 2019 and 2020. Most recently, she clinched the Best Global Music Album award for Mother Nature in 2022. Beyond her wins, Kidjo’s collaborations with icons like Burna Boy, Yo-Yo Ma, and the Soweto Gospel Choir have also earned her Grammy nods, reflecting her unparalleled ability to bridge generations and cultures through music.
With roots in Benin through her Nigerian mother and Beninese father, Kidjo’s impact transcends her celebrated music and distinctive Mama Africa persona. She has become a bridge between generations, uplifting rising and seasoned African artists alike. Speaking with her at Carnegie Hall, Kidjo shared insights about her collaboration with Afrobeats sensation Davido. The performance of their tune “Joy” on the Carnegie Hall stage last year underscored her commitment to nurturing the future of African music. “This young generation, they all grew up with my music. They all sample my music,” Kidjo remarked, her voice bombarded with pride. “I’m glad that all the fights I’ve been through, all the misunderstandings, all the cliches of what an African person should sound like and look like — it was not for nothing, because it gives wings to this new generation to start their career unapologetically.”
Kidjo’s approach to these collaborations is rooted in her belief in the evolving nature of African music. She passionately argued against narrow definitions of African music, stating, “If the traditional music in Africa is non-modern, it’d be dead. Because the story of our ancestors are lessons learned that we implement, and every time that changes, the song before, and the same song we’re singing now, is talking about our reality. That’s what traditional music is.”
Kidjo’s journey to becoming a global icon began amid the political turbulence of 1970s Benin. On October 26, 1972, Major Mathieu Kérékou led a military coup that ousted Justin Ahomadégbé-Tomêtin, marking the start of a dramatic transformation in the nation’s governance—an era that would profoundly influence Kidjo’s commitment to freedom of expression. Recalling the day that changed everything, Kidjo vividly described, “I was 12 years old when the coup happened and I’m never gonna forget this. I woke up in the morning, I was sweeping the floor before I went to school in Benin. Gunshot, and then my father was like, quiet, you’re all quiet.”
In the early 1980s, Angelique Kidjo found herself at a crossroads, grappling with the oppressive political regime in her homeland of Benin. After releasing her debut album, Pretty, in 1981—a project that gained traction across West Africa thanks to Cameroonian producer, Ekambi Brilliant—Kidjo began touring the region. She recalled, “I did my first album in 1981. And it becomes a success because the producer was from Cameroon, so I went to Cameroon to do a show. And I started touring in the region.” However, her growing prominence couldn’t shield her from the pressures of censorship. Musicians were expected to toe the line of propaganda, a reality her father had warned her about: “When you’re an artist, you cannot be affiliated with any political party because they come, and they go. Don’t be involved.”
Despite her efforts to steer clear of political entanglements, Kidjo was summoned to perform for the ECOWAS meeting of heads of state, with Ghana’s Jerry Rawlings among the attendees. Unable to decline, she described the moment she exchanged a telling glance with her parents in the audience, knowing they understood the weight of her silence. “They told me, ‘You can’t say anything, just sing and shout,'” she said. The experience left her distraught. “I came home; I threw up. I said, ‘I can’t live here anymore. If I can’t say what I have to do, what’s the point of doing music?'” That pivotal moment would set Kidjo on a path to leave Benin and amplify her voice globally—a voice that has since become synonymous with freedom and advocacy through music.
When Angelique Kidjo signed with Chris Blackwell’s Island Records for her 1991 album Logozo, she made it clear that preserving her artistic identity was non-negotiable. “I told him, ‘I just want to keep my artistic freedom and my identity,’ and he assured me, ‘That’s not a question. We’ll put it in the contract,'” she recalled. That same determination shone during her first photoshoot for the album, where she faced an egregious remark from a stylist questioning why an African artist would even need one. “The lady said, ‘Don’t you guys walk naked around in your countries?’” Kidjo shared. Unfazed, she brought her own vibrant, African garments to the set. “I said, ‘That’s what it’s gonna be,’” she declared, turning the moment into a bold statement of pride and self-expression.
Since her debut Grammy nomination in 1991, Angélique Kidjo has remained a formidable force, earning nominations even in 2025. Her collaboration with the Soweto Gospel Choir on “Sunlight to My Soul” earned a nomination for Best Global Music Performance at the 67th Grammy Awards. Kidjo’s 40-year career and counting proves that African authenticity can lead to sustained success in the music industry—cementing her Mama Africa persona.