Angelique Kidjo needs no introduction to the world music lover. The Benin-born singer has been nominated for a Grammy award no less than 4 times. She chose singing over a career as a human rights lawyer, because she believes that music can unite more people than any other language. It is a language that transcends skin color, culture and country. Her music certainly does this.
On March 12, Kidjo opened for Josh Groban in a packed Madison Square Garden in the heart of New York. Groban could not have found a better artist to “warm up” the 20,000 or so attendees. In just half an hour, Miss Kidjo not only gets the audience singing, but also dancing. Among the talented musicians, a drummer from Suriname, Harvey Wirth.
When Kidjo performs the song Malaika by Miriam Makeba, you get a warm feeling in your stomach and you can hear a pin drop in the impressive arena. The moment when the audience sings along en masse to the chorus “Africa” of the song of the same name is truly magical. After this blessing for the African continent, the audience seems to have caught the spirit. During the last swinging song “Agolo”, the most reserved people spontaneously stand up to dance, sing along and enjoy in their own way. In the words of Angelique Kidjo's daughter: “No one can sing like my mom.”
Besides being a singer and mother, Angelique Kidjo is also an Ambassador for Unicef. Her new CD Djin Djin will be released on May 1st. A surprisingly exciting CD with songs by Josh Groban, Alicia Keys and Amadou and Miriam.
Barack Obama, the skinny kid with the funny last name, will become the first black President of the US?