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Angélique Kidjo, born on July 14, 1960, in Ouidah, Benin, is a renowned musician who grew up in a musical family. Her mother was a choreographer and theater director, and her brothers were instrumentalists. By the age of six, she was already singing and dancing in her mother's company and later joined her brothers' band, the Kidjo Brothers Band, where she performed a variety of Benin-style songs. Kidjo's upbringing in Benin exposed her to diverse musical influences, including traditional folk styles and urban African music, as well as Western artists like James Brown. A significant influence on her was the South African vocalist Miriam Makeba, prompting Kidjo to record an adaptation of one of Makeba's songs for Benin radio. Her early hits led to a tour in the Ivory Coast. Kidjo's career took off when she moved to Paris, encouraged by Cameroonian producer Ekambi Brilliant. In Paris during the 1980s, she sang with various groups, including a jazz-tinged band called Pili Pili, with whom she recorded two albums and performed at the Montreux Festival in 1986. She also collaborated with a bass player and composer, and through her connections in Paris, she formed her own group and released her first solo album, "Parakou." In recognition of her contributions to music, Kidjo received the Polar Music Prize in 2023.

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