Angelique Kidjo Net Worth and Biography

Angelique Kidjo is one of the most influential artists in Africa and the world. Time Magazine recognized her as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021. Kidjo has written her name in the sands of time with the release of great songs and albums.

She was one of the first African artists to bag a Grammy Award and she is recognized worldwide for her music. In this article, RNN will highlight the Net Worth and biography of this African music icon.

Angelique Kidjo Net Worth and Biography

Biodata

Angelique Kidjo was born on July 14, 1960, in Ouidah, French Dahomey (now Benin). Her father was from the Fon people of Ouidah while her mother was a Yoruba woman from Nigeria. Her parents were musicians, and the duo exposed her to music quite early. She grew up listening to traditional songs from Benin and Nigeria.

There are no official records of Kidjo’s early education however, she attended the CIM Paris where she studied Music.

Musical Career

Angelique Kidjo’s musical career began at the age of six when she started performing with her mother’s theatre troupe. Later on, she started singing with her school band, Les Sphinx and gained recognition when her adaptation of Miriam Makeba’s “Les Trois Z” was played on national radio.

In 1983, she relocated to France when the political conflicts in her country deprived her of her dreams to become an independent artist. While studying at the CIM, she worked various jobs to pay her tuition. In the process of working and studying in Paris, she met French Songwriter and producer, Jean Hebrail, who she later married in 1987.

She composed most of her music with Hebrail later on. Kidjo has had her share of service in other teams also. She started out as a background vocalist at various local bands. In 1985 however, she became the front singer for a Euro-African jazz/rock band- Pili Pili.

By the late 1980s, the Beninese musician had already become one of the most popular live performers in the city of Paris before moving on to have a recorded album. In 1991, she was signed to Island Records after being discovered by its founder, Chris Blackwell. She released four albums with the label until Blackwell left the organization. In 2000, however, Kidjo was signed to the New York-based music label- Columbia Records, where she recorded two albums.

Since then, Kidjo has performed alongside notable international acts like the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and has released several songs and albums.

Albums

Kidjo has released the following albums over the years:

• Pretty- 1981
• Ewa Ka Djo (Let’s Dance)- 1985
• Parakou- 1990
• Logozo- 1991
• Ayé- 1994
• Fifa- 1996
• Oremi- 1998
• Keep On Moving: The Best of Angelique Kidjo- 2001
• Black Ivory Soul- 2002
• Oyaya!- 2004
• Djin Djin- 2007
• Õÿö- 2010
• Spirit Rising- 2012
• Eve- 2014
• Sings (with the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg)- 2015
• Remain in Light- 2018
• Celia- 2019
• Mother Nature- 2021

Songs

Angelique Kidjo has a lot of songs to her name and she has also recorded for various music and TV shows including “Streetfighter” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno”. Some of her songs are “Wombo Lombo”, “Tumba”, “Salala” and “Agolo”.

Grammy Wins

The total number of Kidjo’s awards and nominations are above 100. However, her Grammy wins remain the most notable. Grammy Award is known to be one of the most coveted music awards in the world and the singer/musician has a total of 5 Grammy Awards.

The most recent is her win at the 64th Grammy award ceremony on April 3, 2022. Her album, “Mother Nature” won the “Best Global Music Album”. Her other Grammy awards are highlighted below.

• Contemporary World Music Album- 2008
• Global Music Album- 2015, 2018, 2020

Advocacy and Foundation

Kidjo is popular for being one of the 14 Peace Ambassadors appointed by the African Union in 2010 to support the implementation of the 2010 Year of Peace and Security programme. She is a popular advocate and activist for the girl child.

She has equally been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, traveling to many countries in Africa. Angelique Kidjo is the co-founder of the Batonga Foundation, a foundation that empowers some of the most vulnerable and unreached girls and young women with the necessary skills and knowledge needed to change their communities.

Personal Life

Angelique Kidjo is married to French Musician, Jean Hébrail. They got married in 1987 and welcomed their daughter (Naima Hebrail Kidjo) in France, in 1993.

Angelique Kidjo Net Worth

Angelique Kidjo has an estimated net worth of $5 million. She makes her fortune from her music career.