Angélique Kidjo (Benin)
Queen of world music

Born in Ouidah on 14 July 1960, Angélique Kidjo is more than a legend: she is the incandescent soul of world music. Speaking and singing in five languages, she's rooted in Beninese rhythms and open to world music, bringing jazz, funk, gospel and Afropop together with jubilant freedom. An ambassador for African music since the 1990s, she's rocked Carnegie Hall, Montreux and Glastonbury and racked up five Grammy Awards, the Polar Music Prize (2023), the Amnesty Media Award, and the Davos Crystal Award, and was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in 2021. During her career, she has collaborated with Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Sting and Philip Glass. By 2025, she'd reached over 165 million streams and attracted more than a million monthly listeners on Spotify. She's also a UNICEF ambassador, campaigning for the empowerment of African women. At 64, Angélique Kidjo remains a free, radiant and intergenerational voice, and a shining symbol of the continent's dynamism.