Angélique Kidjo Becomes First Black African Honored On Hollywood Walk of Fame
West African singer Angélique Kidjo made history as the first Black African artist to be inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Grammy-winning artist from Benin is one of 35 inductees chosen by a committee of industry insiders.
“Thanks to all my fans who brought me here,” Kidjo wrote on Instagram.
Kidjo was born in 1960 in the country then known as Dahomey (now Benin), where she studied music, drama, and dance. She released her debut album, Pretty, in 1981. Two years later, she moved to Paris to escape the civil unrest caused by the country’s then-communist government.
“From the moment the communist regime arrived in Benin, I became aware that the freedom we enjoy can be snatched away in a second,” she told the BBC.
Kidjo moved to Brooklyn, New York, where she released a trilogy of albums: Oremi, Black Ivory Soul, and Oyaya!, which drew inspiration from the music of the Caribbean diaspora and South America. In 2021, the singer was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People. She received the Polar Music Prize in 2023, often referred to as the music equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize.
Source: Angélique Kidjo Becomes First Black African Honored On Hollywood Walk of Fame
