"I visited Robben Island just before the first 46664 concert and I understood that Nelson Mandela could not have spent all these years standing up for his continent just to let it be hurt by a disease that can be prevented and cured if there is a strong political will. That's the message we will be sending this time: we will not forget about this until change is made!"
“Her spirit is irrepressible, and she brings life
to everything she touches.” – Peter Gabriel
With DJIN DJIN, her latest release on Razor & Tie/Starbucks
Entertainment, Angelique Kidjo comes home. The
four-time Grammy-nominated, much-celebrated singer, composer,
and performer began in the Beninese port village of
Cotonou, where she launched her career at the age of six.
The political turmoil in her country led her to relocate to
Paris, the capital of world music, and then ultimately to New
York City, where she now resides. Her striking voice, stage
presence and her fluency in multiple cultures and languages
won respect from her peers and expanded her following
across national borders. It also earned her access to humanitarians
who sensed the passion in the words of her songs, resulting
in her long-term dedication to global charity work.
Kidjo has traveled far and mesmerized audiences on countless
stages, speaking out on behalf of the children in her capacity
as a UNICEF and OXFAM goodwill ambassador. She also
just created her own charitable organization, Batonga, dedicated
to support the education of young girls in Africa.
With DJIN DJIN and the return to her musical roots, Kidjo
has truly closed the circle in her life as she brings international
artists to the musical world of her native country. As a child,
Kidjo was mesmerized by an iconic album cover of Jimi Hendrix,
which led her to follow the African roots of music from the
United States, Brazil and the Carribean. The results were the
Grammy-nominated trilogy of albums, OREMI, BLACK
IVORY SOUL and OYAYA. With DJIN DJIN (pronounced
“gin gin”), Angelique Kidjo returns to the soul of Benin
– and, for the first time, shares it with a cast of all-star guests, in
a marriage of cultures that has significance far beyond music
alone. The contributions of stellar guest artists illuminate
Kidjo’s concept. By finding a place for their distinctive talents
within the marriage of African and Western influences, DJIN
DJIN celebrates the beauty of diversity as well as the unity of
cultures that Kidjo achieves through her music.
Inspired by the traditions and culture of Kidjo’s native
Benin in West Africa, the title of the album refers to the
sound of the bell that greets the beginning of a new day for
Africa. The diversity represented by Alicia Keys, Peter
Gabriel, Josh Groban, Carlos Santana, Joss Stone, Branford
Marsalis, producer Tony Visconti, and the others who
contribute to DJIN DJIN speaks to the lesson of this project:
For all the differences in the music of our time, the river
of Africa flows through it all. Kidjo set some of the new material
on DJIN DJIN into the languages of Benin, Nigeria,
and Togo. She has written and sung extensively in
French and English as well, but for this mission the lyrics
came to her from further back in her history.
DJIN DJIN has yielded Kidjo a heap of critical praise, including
coverage in Vanity Fair, The Los Angeles Times,
Time, People, USA Today, Le Monde, Global Rhythm
(cover story), The London Sunday Times(feature story) and
many other esteemed outlets. In this year alone, she has performed
(with her incredible band of multi-cultural musicians)
on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”, “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “The CBS Saturday Early Show”. Kidjo continues to tour the world headlining
extensively with stops in London, Paris, Brussels, Barcelona, Amsterdam,
Roma, Singapore. Kidjo also performed at Al Gore’s Live Earthconcert on July 7th.
