Angelique Kidjo: Two Years, Too Strong

Beninese-born musician Angèlique Kidjo took out the Grammy award for Best World Music Album, for the second year running.

The Grammy Award winning Sings, sees Kidjo front the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, blending African song writing and rhythms with European classical instrumentation.  Kidjo previously won the award in 2015 for her album titled Eve which spawned an eclectic dose of pop crossed with African and Carribean influences.  It's a pleasantly upbeat album with the title being inspired by her mother's name and dedicated to the women of Africa.

Dressed in a colourful African dress, Kidjo took to the stage to accept the Grammy award, dancing to the pit orchestra’s performance of James Brown’s ‘I Feel Good’.

‘I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musicians in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation,’ she said in her acceptance speech.

The 55-year-old singer later added that she had been fighting for a positive image of Africa and that she worked with people who believe music is the tool of peace.

Sings, arranged by Luxembourg composer Gast Waltzing and featuring Grammy winning guitarist Christian McBride, beat out nominee Malawi Zomba Prison Project and the group’s highly innovative album I Have No Everything Here.

Angelique Kidjo has previously received critical acclaim for her diverse musical influence, her activism and her creative music videos. Timemagazine named her ‘Africa’s premier diva’, while The Guardian listed her as one its ‘Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World’.

Click on the video below to listen to Angèlique Kidjo perform alongside Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg for a pleasurable arm-hair-raising experience, filmed back in 2011.