Over the past four decades, Angélique Kidjo has cemented her status as one of the most adventurous and omnivorous artists on the international pop music scene. The five-time Grammy winner is known for making connections across genres, generations, and geopolitical boundaries, enlisting her clarion voice and dynamic, eclectic musical vision to address complex subject matter through radiantly joyful music. Kidjo’s recent projects range from her theatrical work Yemandja to a reboot of the Talking Heads’ classic 1980 album Remain in Light (both part of the Cal Performances 2021–22 season); a tribute to salsa queen Celia Cruz; and most recently, Mother Nature, a cri de coeur against climate change and political corruption featuring African millennial superstars. Throughout all this, “Kidjo’s voice is constant, an instrument of such power and clarity that it sounds equally capable of polishing glass or announcing Judgment Day” (The New Yorker).

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