Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo, 66, has made history as the first African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The five-time Grammy Award winner celebrated the milestone with a message of gratitude, paying tribute to the people who have supported her career and to the African culture that has shaped her music.
“So many emotions, so many people to thank! I have not arrived to this moment by myself,” Kidjo wrote on social media.
She dedicated the honor to the artists who inspired her at the beginning of her career, as well as a new generation of African musicians.
“This star goes to all the people that have supported me throughout the years: to the artists that have inspired me when I started and to the young African artists who are inspiring me today!” she wrote.
Kidjo also thanked her musicians, composers, producers, management team, agents, record label, publicists, family and friends, as well as the musicians who have collaborated with her over the years.
“But most of all: my country Benin and my continent Africa that have been feeding me with an incredible culture that the world doesn’t know about!” she wrote.
She ended her message with a tribute to her supporters: “To my fans: I LOVE YOU! I’m grateful to you!”
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of Los Angeles’ best-known landmarks, stretching along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street. Its terrazzo-and-brass stars recognize achievements in entertainment, including motion pictures, television, recording, radio and live performance.
Kidjo, born in Benin, has built a career spanning several decades by combining West African musical traditions with influences from Afrobeat, jazz, funk, gospel, reggae and Latin music.
Her international breakthrough included songs such as “Agolo,” while her extensive catalog includes albums such as “Djin Djin,” “Eve,” “Sings,” “Celia” and “Mother Nature.” Those projects have helped earn her five Grammy Awards across categories that have included contemporary world music, world music and global music.
She has collaborated with artists including Carlos Santana, Burna Boy, Alicia Keys, Philip Glass and Peter Gabriel. She also reinterpreted Talking Heads’ landmark album “Remain in Light,” bringing African musical influences to the 1980 record.
Beyond music, Kidjo is known for her humanitarian work. She has served as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador and founded the Batonga Foundation, which works to support and empower girls and young women in Africa.
Time named Kidjo one of its 100 most influential people in 2021.
Her Hollywood honor adds another milestone to a career that has brought Beninese and African music to audiences around the world.
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