Angélique Kidjo makes history on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Dar es Salaam. When Angélique Kidjo steps onto a stage, you feel it. Her voice—rich, fearless, and rooted in ancestral rhythm—doesn’t merely entertain; it uplifts.

Now, after decades of reshaping the global music landscape, the five-time Grammy Award winner has earned a permanent place among legends: the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

On 3 July 2025, the Beninese-born icon was announced as one of the newest inductees into the Walk of Fame’s Class of 2026, becoming the first African artiste ever to receive the honour in the recording category.

For fans of African music and global artistry alike, the moment is more than a personal accolade—it marks a historic shift.

“When Angélique Kidjo is honoured, the whole continent walks with her,” a fellow artiste posted on X shortly after the announcement.

And indeed, for over three decades, she has carried Africa on her back—and in her voice.

The selection, overseen by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, followed a competitive nomination process involving hundreds of submissions.

Kidjo’s name was announced alongside global icons such as Prince, Green Day, and Deepika Padukone—signalling not only her place in music history but also a broader redefinition of who that history includes.

The Walk of Fame selection panel chair, Mr Peter Roth, described Kidjo as “an artiste who transcends borders with a sound that is as much about humanity as it is about harmony.”

Although the unveiling date of her star has not yet been confirmed, honourees typically have up to two years to schedule the ceremony.

Kidjo’s musical catalogue is vast and boundary-breaking, spanning languages, genres, and continents.

With albums recorded in Fon, Yoruba, French, and English, her work blends Afrobeat, funk, jazz, Latin rhythms, and traditional West African sounds into a signature that is both distinctive and impossible to replicate.

From Agolo to Mother Nature, her discography has never followed trends—it has defined them.

Collaborations with Alicia Keys, Burna Boy, Yemi Alade, Carlos Santana, and many others have helped spotlight African music on global platforms, long before it became an industry buzzword.

Yet, despite her accolades—including five Grammy Awards—Kidjo has remained grounded in purpose.

Whether through her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador or the work of her Batonga Foundation, which advocates for girls’ education across Africa, she has never separated art from activism.

“Music is a weapon for peace,” she once said, adding: “It carries stories that don’t always make the headlines but are just as vital.”

Now 65, Kidjo shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to perform across continents, release genre-defying albums, and speak boldly on matters of culture, identity, and freedom.

Her Walk of Fame recognition is not only well deserved—it is symbolic. In an entertainment industry that has often marginalised non-Western voices, Kidjo’s star on Hollywood Boulevard is more than just a marker.

It is a powerful statement that African artistry belongs not on the sidelines, but at the heart of global culture.

As one cultural commentator put it: “She is not Africa’s voice to the world. She is the world listening to Africa.”

And soon, beneath her name etched in gold, will lie a message to generations yet to come: You belong here too.