Marcus+

Here’s to Africa’s Premier Diva with New York credibility.

Angélique Kidjo

Born in Benin, Angélique Kidjo is the incarnation of best qualities in music and culture of Africa, as well as its most popular musical ambassador and the icon of the contemporary World Music. In 2008 her album Djin Djin won a Grammy for the best album in this genre, while her latest one (Õÿö, 2010) was recently nominated for the same award. Among artists she performed or recorded with are Carlos Santana, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Herbie Hancock, Cassandra Wilson, Annie Lenox, Vernon Reid and Joss Stone. She recorded 12 studio albums, most of them consisting of a characteristic mixture of pop and African folk songs. Angélique was one of the main stars of the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in the Republic of South Africa. She also sang on several major film soundtracks (for example We Are One in Lion King 2). In 2002 Angélique Kidjo became a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF. Her presence at this year’s Solidarity of Arts is terrific news for the festival. She was one of the first artists invited by Marcus Miller to take part in the Marcus+ project.
kidjo.com

Photo: Nabil Elderkin