Beninese music star Angélique Kidjo has made history as the first African musician and the first Black African performer to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The five-time Grammy Award winner was celebrated on Tuesday at a ceremony in Los Angeles, where she received the 2,854th star in the Recording category.
The star was unveiled at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard, right across from the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The ceremony was hosted by Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson. Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. were guest speakers at the event.
Before the unveiling, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce declared 18 August as Angélique Kidjo Day in Hollywood.
This recognition makes Kidjo the first musician from Africa to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the first Black African performer to receive the honour. She joins other African-born honourees, like South African actress Charlize Theron, who got her star in 2005.
‘Not just my star, our star’
During the ceremony, Kidjo said this honour is a big deal not just for her but for African music and artists everywhere.
“We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world, what we continue giving to the world; without us there’s no music possible [on] this planet,” she stated.
The singer hopes her success will open doors for more African artists.
“It’s not just my star, it’s our star,” she mentioned, adding that while she is the first, she won't be the last.
Kidjo thanked her family, team, and fans before celebrating by singing and dancing over her newly unveiled star.
‘Living legacy’
Mason Jr. praised Kidjo’s artistic success and her impact beyond music.
“This star is a permanent symbol; it’s not going anywhere, and it’s a symbol of your achievements,” he explained. “But your legacy, it lives in the people that you’ve touched, that you’ve inspired, the barriers that you’ve broken, the connections you’ve created all around the world.”
He added that Kidjo’s work has raised the profile of the global music scene and shown that music is “more than entertainment; it’s a connection.”
Dafoe, a friend of Kidjo since 2002, also praised her energy as a performer and humanitarian.
“The first time I saw Angélique perform live, I thought her music, her dancing, her commitment were incredible,” he said, calling her “the hardest-working woman in show business.”
He also highlighted her humanitarian work through the Batonga Foundation, saying her advocacy reflects the message in her music.
Benin to global stardom
Born on 14 July 1960, in Ouidah, Benin, then called Dahomey, Kidjo grew up surrounded by music before moving to Paris in 1983 due to political problems in her home country.
She released her first album, Pretty, in 1981 and has built an international career over more than four decades.
Her music blends West African traditions with funk, jazz, R&B, gospel, and Latin sounds. Over the years, she has worked with global stars like Burna Boy, Alicia Keys, Sting, Bono, Peter Gabriel, Yo-Yo Ma, and Philip Glass.
Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards, with her first in 2008 for Djin Djin. She later won Best World Music Album for Eve in 2015, Sings in 2016, Celia in 2020, and Mother Nature in 2022.
Her other awards include the 2023 Polar Music Prize and a spot on TIME magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Milestone for African music
Aside from music, Kidjo is known as a big humanitarian and a champion for women and girls.
She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002 and started the Batonga Foundation in 2006 to help with education, leadership, and economic empowerment for girls and young women in Africa.
Getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame comes after she was named one of the 35 members of the Class of 2026. This class includes Miley Cyrus, Timothée Chalamet, Demi Moore, Shaquille O’Neal, Josh Groban, and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
This achievement places Kidjo’s name among Hollywood’s most famous figures and marks a key moment for African music at one of the world’s biggest entertainment landmarks.
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