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 her newest album 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.

A passionate humanitarian, Kidjo is a UNICEF and Oxfam Goodwill Ambassador and the founder of the Batonga Foundation, which supports education and empowerment for girls and young women in Africa. She has also served as a spokesperson for AFAWA, a pan-African initiative to finance women entrepreneurs. 

As the latest offering in a catalog that’s continually shown the transformative power of music, HOPE!! solidifies Kidjo’s legacy as a visionary artist whose sense of purpose has only grown stronger over time. “Sometimes it feels as though the world is losing hope at such a rapid pace that it’s endangering our humanity,” says Kidjo. “With all the music that I create, I want to show that anything and everything is possible—and that despite what the political rhetoric might have us believe, we are all deeply connected. My hope is that these songs bring happiness to everyone, but also remind them that we were all put here to help and love each other.”