Angélique Kidjo, born on July 14, 1960, in Ouidah, Benin, is a Beninese-French singer, actress, activist, and humanitarian who is widely celebrated as the Queen of African Music. She is 66 years old, a five-time Grammy Award winner, the most decorated African solo artist in Grammy history, and on August 18, 2026, she made history as the first African musician and the first Black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star, number 2,854 in the Recording category, was placed at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles and dedicated by her to the entire African continent.
Angélique Kidjo Profile
| Name | Angélique Kidjo |
| Real Name | Angélique Kidjo |
| Date of Birth | July 14, 1960 |
| Nationality | Beninese |
| Occupation | Beninese-French singer, actress, activist, and humanitarian |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Net Worth | $10 million |
| Copied from | content101.com |
Educational Background
Born in the coastal city of Ouidah, Kidjo grew up performing in her mother’s theatre troupe from the age of six, receiving a performance education that no formal institution could have replicated. She later attended law school in Paris, France, after moving to Europe, combining her legal studies with a burgeoning music career across the city’s jazz and funk scenes. Her formal legal training reflects the breadth of a mind that has always reached beyond the boundaries of any single discipline.
Career
Kidjo began performing as a child before moving to France in the 1980s. Her departure from Benin was driven by political repression under the country’s communist government, and she has spoken often about that moment of loss and liberation. In Paris, she joined the African jazz band Pili Pili and explored diverse musical styles before signing with the Mango label. Her album Logozo, released in 1991, addressed global issues and achieved international success, establishing the template for a career that has always fused the personal with the political.
Across more than four decades, she has released 18 albums, blending West African musical traditions with R&B, funk, jazz, gospel, reggae, and Latin American influences, singing in five languages including Fon, French, Yoruba, Gen-Mina, and English. Her collaborations have brought her together with artists including Alicia Keys, Burna Boy, Carlos Santana, Peter Gabriel, Bono, Philip Glass, and Yo-Yo Ma. She has won five Grammy Awards, making her the most decorated African solo artist in the award’s history. She performed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony, sang under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris before world leaders at the WWI centennial commemoration, and performed at the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in December 2024. She sold out Carnegie Hall in 2024 for her 40th anniversary music concert.
Her latest album HOPE!!, released on April 24, 2026, features collaborators including Pharrell Williams, Quavo, Ayra Starr, Davido, Nile Rodgers, Charlie Wilson, and PJ Morton, bringing together a generation of African and African-American artists in a statement of musical unity.
As a humanitarian, she has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, founded the Batonga Foundation to support girls’ education in Africa, and was named spokesperson for the AFAWA initiative at the G7 Summit in 2019 by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Controversies
Angélique Kidjo has not been at the centre of any significant personal controversy across four decades in public life. On the positive side, her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on August 18, 2026, generated an outpouring of continental pride, with Benin’s President Romuald Wadagni declaring that she had raised the rhythms, creativity, and dignity of the nation to the highest level.
She described the star simply: “It’s not just my star, it’s our star.” The only nuance worth noting about her Walk of Fame honour is the precise historical framing: she is not the first person born in Africa to have a Walk of Fame star, as South African-born actress Charlize Theron received one in 2005. Kidjo’s milestone is specifically that she is the first African musician and the first Black African to be honoured. The distinction matters and she has been careful to frame it accurately in her public statements.
Angélique Kidjo Social Media Handle
https://www.instagram.com/angeliquekidjo
Personal Life
Angélique Kidjo was born on July 14, 1960, in Ouidah, Benin, making her 66 years old. Her father was a government official named Franck and her mother Yvonne was a choreographer and theatre director, whose influence on her daughter’s artistic development has been lifelong and openly acknowledged. She moved to France in the early 1980s and married Jean Hebrail, a composer and bassist. Together they have a daughter named Naima.
Angélique Kidjo Net Worth
Kidjo’s net worth is estimated to be around $10 million.