Angélique Kidjo

Since Angélique Kidjo first burst onto the global scene over four decades ago, her music has provided a powerful transmission of pure unfettered joy. In the last few years alone, the Africa-born artist has amassed a host of accolades proving her immense cultural impact, including winning the 2023 Polar Music Prize, landing on Time’s illustrious 100 Most Influential People list, and taking home a Grammy for Best Global Music Album for 2021’s Mother Nature (a feat that earned her Guinness World Record for most Global Music Album awards won at the Grammys, with five prizes to date). On HOPE!!, Kidjo offers up a revelatory body of work affirming her as a truly essential artist—one whose unbridled joy serves as a unifying force, a conduit for healing, and a much-needed antidote to despair in troubled times. “I started singing when I was six years old, and I’m grateful every day that I still get to live my passion and do what I love with my life,” says Kidjo, who hails from the West African nation of Benin. “At the same time I know that many people struggle to find joy, especially when there’s so much to worry about in our world today. With this album I wanted to put some fire back in people’s hearts, and show how much we need that joy and hope to keep our humanity going.” The 18th album in her widely acclaimed discography, HOPE!! pushes forward with the generation spanning collaborative approach Kidjo previously embraced on Mother Nature—an album that featured a stacked lineup of young artists from genres like Afrobeat, dancehall, and hip-hop and quickly drew praise from the likes of Pitchfork (who lauded it as “a feast of the most sublime sounds found in the Black diaspora”) and The New Yorker (who noted that “Angélique Kidjo is a towering figure of cross-cultural music”). This time around, Kidjo teamed up with fellow luminaries like global superstar Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers (the legendary Chic guitarist and producer), and Diane Warren (a 17-time Oscar nominee who’s penned songs for Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Rihanna), as well as such eclectic musicians as The Cavemen (a Nigerian highlife duo), PJ Morton (a singer/songwriter and longtime Maroon 5 member), and French pop icon Florent Pagny. Made with producers like Shizzi (a Nigerian musician who’s worked with Fireboy DML, DaBaby, and Meek Mill), French jazz musician/composer Philippe Saisse, fast-rising Nigerian producer Louddaaa, and more, the result is a groove-heavy and galvanizing album that boldly transcends genre while endlessly showcasing Kidjo’s larger-than-life presence and captivating voice. Dedicated to Kidjo’s late mother, HOPE!! emerged from a period shaped by grief and renewal. While mourning her mother’s passing, Kidjo found herself sustained by the very spirit of joy that had always defined her mother’s presence. “My mother used to tell me that hope is the bedrock of our existence,” says Kidjo. “She believed our purpose in life is to spread hope. When I lost her, that belief became something I had to hold onto. If you have hope, you can overcome anything.” In a formidable opening statement, HOPE!! kicks off with “Bando”—one of three songs created with Pharrell Williams, who joined forces with Kidjo after inviting her to perform at his Grace For The World concert in Vatican City in 2025. Featuring Pharrell and multi-platinum rapper Quavo, the blissfully buoyant track takes its title from a slang term for “abandoned house” and speaks to our capacity to soar beyond circumstance and ascend to extraordinary heights. “I wanted that song to open the record because it shows that, no matter where you start out in life, the sky is the limit as long as you have hope,” she says. Revealing the depth and potency of their musical chemistry, Kidjo’s collaborations with Pharrell also include “No Stopping Us” (an exhilarating declaration born from their conversations about the future of social change and the indomitability of collective action) and “For Me” (an irresistibly upbeat number she refers to as “an anthem for Africa,” featuring background vocals from The Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson).

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