Angélique Kidjo
A Beninese singer whose explosive voice and cross-cultural collaborations turned African music into a global force for joy and justice.
Born 1960 (age 66)·Beninese musician·Birthday: July 14·Baby Boomers
Biography
Born in Cotonou, Angélique Kidjo grew up in a creative household where her mother ran a theater company, exposing her to a world of performance. She fled political repression in Benin for Paris in the 1980s, a move that launched her international career. Kidjo never abandoned her roots, instead weaving the complex rhythms of her native Fon and Yoruba languages with funk, jazz, and rock. Her music became a passport, allowing her to collaborate with a staggering array of artists from across genres and continents, all while her lyrics championed women's rights and pan-African pride. More than a performer, she is a UNESCO goodwill ambassador and founder of the Batonga Foundation, dedicated to educating girls in Africa. Her work dismantles barriers, proving that the most vital pop music is both deeply local and wildly universal.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Angélique was born in 1960, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Angélique Was Born
The biggest hits of 1960
#1 Movie
Swiss Family Robinson
Best Picture
The Apartment
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Angélique's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1960Born
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1965Started school
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1973Became a teenager
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Could drive
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1978Could vote
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1981Turned 21
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1990Turned 30
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 40
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 50
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 60
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 66 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- She became the first Black African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.
- She has won five Grammy Awards, including for her albums 'Eve' and 'Celia'.
- She performed at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
- She was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2021.
Did You Know?
She is fluent in five languages: Fon, French, Yoruba, Gen (Mina), and English.
Her full name is Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo.
She recorded a version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Voodoo Child' for a tribute album.
She once worked as a backup singer for the French pop star Sylvie Vartan.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
