Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists in international music with eighteen albums and five Grammy awards (out of seven nominations) to her name. Her original compositions are noted for fusing an array of musical styles and genres. She has also dueted with a large and diverse number of music artists including Amadou & Miriam, Alicia Keys, Brandford Marsalis, Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews, David Byrne, Ezra Koenig, Gilberto Gil, Herbie Hancock, Joss Stone, Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Ziggy Marley.

Born in 1960 to a mother of the Yoruba people and a father of the Fon people, she grew up listening to Beninese traditional music as well as the popular Afrobeat, Soweto Blues, Caribbean Fusion, and American Rock artists of the day. By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother Yvonne’s theatre troupe, giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance. In her autobiography “Spirit Rising: My Life, My Music” she writes that her father Franck’s belief in gender equality was another major catalyst of her artistic development. Her professional career began in the late 1970’s when her cover of Miriam Makeba’s “Les Trois Z” found success on national radio. This led to the release of her debut album “Pretty” in 1981.

In 1983 Kidjo moved to Paris due to the circumstances of Mathieu Kérékou’s regime. Through formal study at the Centre d’Informations Musicales (CIM) and live performance she became part of a community rich with musical experimentation. At CIM she met Jean Hebrail who became her composition partner, and then in 1987, her husband. Kidjo speaks and sings fluently in five languages: Fon, French, Yorùbá, Gen (Mina), and English.

Kidjo is not only known as an artist, but also as a humanitarian who advocates for children’s rights, education, and environmental causes, most notably through her Goodwill Ambassadorship in UNICEF, Peace Ambassadorship in the African Union, and campaigns for OXFAM. In 2006, Kidjo founded the Batonga Foundation with the goal of locating the most vulnerable adolescent girls in Benin and connecting them to girl-centered safe spaces led by Beninese women. To date, the foundation’s resources have been used to also help girls and young women in Mali, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, and Cameroon. As of 2022, the foundation’s focus is in three areas. Firstly, providing 12-18 year old girls with a safe space (called clubs) to learn critical life skills and information ranging from reproductive health to financial literacy. The goals are that they will understand their rights, gain self-confidence, and feel empowered to plan their own economic future. Secondly, providing connection/networking opportunities, vocational training, support systems, and financial backing to help young women become economically independent. Thirdly, the foundation coordinates mentoring with the goal of keeping girls and young women from becoming socially isolated, being prevented from making decisions about their safety, and being unaware of risks that can lead to exploitation.