Beninese diva Angelique Kidjo has taken African pop global. Her new album crosses all boundaries, writes Phillip Kakaza
Even under the best circumstances the chances of becoming an international star in the world of entertainment are slim. But for a woman to launch a musical career from the highly religious African country of Benin – the odds against success are astronomical.
But singer Angelique Kidjo has taken on those odds – and has beaten them. Over the last few years she has built an international following to rival that of her chief role model, Miriam Makeba. Over the course of four albums, the vocalist from Quidah, a small coastal town in Benin, has created a bridge that unites the rhythms and spirits of Africa with the grooves and vibes of the African diaspora in Europe and the Americas.
With the release of her new album Oremi (Polygram), recorded in South Africa (where she performed at the Sama Awards) and New York, Kidjo rises even further in the firmament of global pop. She is convincingly a pop star who transcends the debate about whether to sing in the global pop language of English.
“I don’t feel concerned, because my parents taught me to respect every style, every culture and language,” Kidjo told the Mail & Guardian. “Music is a language that everyone has to learn and understand. Those who might not understand will feel it.”
Oremi is a fresh mixture of deep grooves, strong rhythms, funky guitars, smooth keyboards, diva harmonies and, of course, Kidjo’s emotionally compelling contralto voice. The album ranges from hip-hop waves that add a freshly contemporary touch to her Afro-Celtic reconstruction of Jimi Hendrix’s immortal Voodoo Child (Slight Return), where her voice echoes his guitar work. Kidjo says including Voodoo Child on this album was quite natural, because the voodoo or, more correctly, vodun religion – popular in the Caribbean – originated in Benin and because her brothers used to listen to Hendrix when she was young.
As a teenager, Kidjo was inspired to write songs by the sounds of Hendrix and Santana. “What really connects me to Hendrix and Santana is the way they use the guitar as an extension of internal fire, the continuation of soul in the fingers.”
Apart from the guitar masters, she has been influenced just as much by the compelling voices of Makeba, James Brown and Aretha Franklin.
Clearly, traditional African music was not the only type of music she listened to when she was growing up. Benin exposed her to many styles during the 1970s, including salsa, Zairean rhumba, makossa from Cameroon, soul, funk and Indian music. Kidjo absorbed them all and created her own style.
She describes her rise to stardom as a “helluva experience”. She began touring Benin, performing at local festivals and radio with her brothers’ band. She was one of very few female artists to do so – women who sang professionally were generally looked down upon. “Man, it was hard! I really had to struggle,” she says. The example of Makeba kept her going. Kidjo sang some of Makeba’s songs, including the Swahili ballad Malaika (which appears on Kidjo’s second album, Logozo, released in 1991).
And religion has always played a prominent part in her music. She is eager to stress its message of love and equality, as opposed to a more negative religious vision based on fear and ignorance. “It brings energy, mystery and spirituality to everyday life,” says Kidjo.
Also featured on Oremi is American jazzman Branford Marsalis, whose creative saxophone phrasing spices up the funky Itche Koutche. Kidjo’s daughter Naima closes the acoustic ballad Loloye.
“This album is very special for me,” she says. “I always try to make sure that I have producers, writers and musicians that are humanly linked. Working with producers Peter Mokran, the producer of Maxwell’s last album, and songwriter Jean Hebrail was an enriching experience for me.”
Oremi brings together many diverse strands. Its brew includes bits of South African Xhosa choruses by imbongi Zolani Mkhiva, jazzy sounds such as Marsalis’s, and the blend of English and Kidjo’s native Fon language.
Kidjo’s pan-muscial vision is most vividly illustrated in her duet with jazz diva Cassandra Wilson and R&B rising star Kelly Price. On Never Know, Kidjo’s ethereal vocalisations are intensified by Wilson’s scat harmonies. On Open Your Eyes, Kidjo and Price intuitively shadow each other so closely that they merge into one big heart of soul.
Kidjo’s first performing experience was as a six-year-old actor and dancer in her mother’s theatre troupe. From then, music became her sole passion.
Difficulties with the political environment in her homeland prompted Kidjo to relocate to Paris in 1983. She found the city a melting pot of musical styles. She was leading her own band within five years. Established as one of Paris’s top live acts, Kidjo was quickly signed by Island Records. Her stunning 1990 debut, Paralou, was a glimpse into a promising future that was fullfilled the following year with Logozo, a joyful mlange of everything from the club funk of Batonga to the African-styled Malaika. Kidjo’s third album, Aye (1993), provided the hit single Agolo, propelled by its award-winning video directed by Michel Meyer.
The follow-up album, Fifa, began in Benin, as Kidjo felt the need to return to her roots. This acclaimed and globally successful album contains the classic tracks Welcome, with its ethereal a cappella opening chorus, the title track, dedicated to all the children of the world, and the infectious dance numbers Shango and Wombo Lombo.
Today, Kidjo is a global phenomenon whose powerful performances are legendary. Oremi opens a new artistic door for her.
“The whole idea of Oremi goes back to my childhood. Since I was a little girl I wondered how it would be to convey through music the fact that we all are of the same roots and same genes. Oremi, which means `friend’, could be the first part of a trilogy I would like to make, the second stop being Brazil, the third being Haiti and Cuba. My head is always turning but I will learn and try hard to challenge myself, keep on learning and keep on moving.”