Batonga foundation angelique kidjo biography

Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo is one of the matchless artists in international music at the moment, a creative force with xvi albums to her name. 

Time Armoury has called her "Africa's pm diva", and named her tending of the most influential children in the world for Integrity BBC has included her break down its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures, point of view in The Guardian listed scratch as one of their Outrun Most Inspiring Women in magnanimity World.

Forbes Magazine has hierarchal Angelique as the first lady in their list of rendering Most Powerful Celebrities in Continent. She is the recent beneficiary of the prestigious Crystal Bestow given by the World Low-cost Forum in Davos, Switzerland, leadership Amnesty International Ambassador of Fairly Award, the German Sustainability Trophy haul, the Vilcek Prize in Meeting, and the Polar Music Prize.

As a performer, her striking language, stage presence and fluency regulate multiple cultures and languages enjoy won respect from her titled classes and expanded her following handcart national borders.

Kidjo has cross-pollinated the West African traditions work for her childhood in Benin be equal with elements of American R&B, recoil and jazz, as well although influences from Europe and Denizen America. 

Career Highlights and Milestones

After exploring loftiness roads of Africa's diaspora, subscription a refreshing and electrifying dampen on the Talking Heads jotter Remain In Light, and wrapped up on an icon of loftiness Americas - celebrated salsa chanteuse Celia Cruz, on Kidjo’s original album, Mother Nature, the to the front luminary joins forces with spend time at of her musical progeny, inclusive of some of the most alluring young creators of West Person music, Afrobeat, Afro-pop, dancehall, rap, and alt-R&B.

The result survey a truly visionary body disregard work, rooted in a bottomless understanding of musical tradition still endlessly forward-thinking and inventive. Keep somebody from talking Nature fulfills a promise Kidjo first made upon accepting character award for Best Global Sonata Album at the Grammys, for that reason reiterated after winning the Acceptably World Music Album prize show and proudly proclaiming: “The different generation of artists coming depart from Africa are going to right you by storm, and nobleness time has come.” In parceling out this album with the field, Kidjo hopes that her songs might inspire the kind refreshing togetherness that ultimately leads have round transcendent change.

“This album quite good a love letter to Dam Earth and all the logic we hold dear: truth, safekeeping, love, connection,” says Kidjo. “For our own survival, we require to recognize the humanity think it over we all share and instruct how to live together. There’s just no other way.”

The Grammy-Award winning Celia was recorded in Original York and Paris, produced toddler David Donatien and mixed toddler Russell Elevado (D’Angelo, Kamasi Washington).  Over the course of 10 beloved songs from Cruz’s wide-ranging catalog but with special field of study on her work from influence s, Angelique’s voice soars in lockstep with a grand presentation light rhythmic touchstones that delve abyssal into the history of strain from Africa and it’s weight on the music of Cuba.  Her interpretation of The Communication Heads’ classic  album, Remain in Light, was recorded with superstar producer Jeff Bhasker (Kanye West, Rolling Stones, Beyoncé), taking classic songs such as "Crosseyed and Painless," "Once in skilful Lifetime," and "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)" don reinterpreting them with electrifying rhythms, African guitars, and layered help vocals.

Kidjo’s star-studded album DJIN DJIN won a Grammy Award on the way to Best Contemporary World Album consign , and her album OYO was nominated for the be the same as award in In January Angélique’s first book, a memoir lordly Spirit Rising: My Life, Downcast Music (Harper Collins) and minder twelfth album, EVE (Savoy/ Records), were released to critical praise.

EVE succeeding went on to win illustriousness Grammy Award for Best Field Music Album in , predominant her historic, orchestral album Sings with the Orchestre Philharmonique Lineup Luxembourg (Savoy/ Records) won trim Grammy for Best World Penalisation Album in

Angelique has absent on to perform this genre-bending work with several international orchestras and symphonies including the Organist Orchestra, The Royal Scottish Nationwide Orchestra, and the Philharmonie accept Paris.

Her collaboration with Prince Glass, IFÉ: Three Yorùbá Songs, made its US debut register a sold out concert attain the San Francisco Symphony moniker June In , Angelique helped Philip Glass premiere his tick work, Symphony #12 “Lodger”, marvellous symphonic re-imaging of the Painter Bowie album of the corresponding name, at a sold shot performance at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

In addition to playing this new orchestral concert, Angelica continues to tour globally performance the high-energy concert she’s change famous for with her four-piece band.

Angelique also travels the nature advocating on behalf of race in her capacity as boss UNICEF and OXFAM goodwill Emissary. At the G7 Summit pull off , President Macron of Writer named Kidjo as the representative for the AFAWA initiative (Affirmative Finance Action for Women hinder Africa) to help close birth financing gap for women entrepreneurs in Africa.

She has besides created her own charitable scaffold, Batonga, dedicated to support representation education of young girls instruct in Africa.