Sydney – Tuesday 21 November, 2023. Beninese icon and five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo will return to the Sydney Opera House for one electrifying performance in the sonically reinvigorated Concert Hall in March 2024. Celebrating her 40-year career, Kidjo will mesmerise audiences with her sublime career-spanning catalogue and the soulful melodies and powerful songwriting of her most recent album, Mother Nature (2021).
Angélique Kidjo says: “I have had the privilege of performing at the great Sydney Opera House a few times. This is one of my favourite venues in the world and I’m honoured to be able to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my career with everyone there. Australia has a special place in my heart as the success of my first album Logozo there has empowered my young career. It’s been five years since I last visited Australia, and I’m excited to bring my tour there once again!”
Hailing from the West African nation of Benin and currently residing in New York City and Paris, Kidjo’s four-decade career has spanned 16 albums – fusing the traditional African music of her upbringing with contemporary R&B, funk, and Latin American sounds. Collaborations with artists including Sampa the Great, Mr Eazi, and Burna Boy have drawn inspiration from significant historical and current events, including the Black Lives Matter protests, youth-led movement against Nigeria’s corrupt Special Anti-Robbery Squad, the American Declaration of Independence, and Benin’s 60th independence anniversary (coinciding with Kidjo’s birth). Kidjo’s latest release, the Grammy-winning Mother Nature – her first album of original music in seven years – boldly weaves commentary on racial inequity and the climate crisis into her radiantly optimistic melodies.
Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Music, Ben Marshall says: “Angélique Kidjo is a true musical luminary and icon – an unparalleled talent with boundless energy whose vibrant melodies and rich, soulful voice know no bounds. Come witness Angélique’s brilliance illuminate the revitalised Concert Hall and celebrate as we soar through her Herculean 40-year career – a musical odyssey that promises to be nothing but awe-inspiring.”
An unstoppable creative force, Kidjo has been recognised as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people and included in The Guardian’s Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was awarded the prestigious 2023 Polar Music Prize.