Kidjo was born in Ouidah, Benin. Her father is Fon from Ouidah and her mother is Yoruba . She grew up listening to James Brown, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Santana.
By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother's theatre troupe, giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance. She started singing in her school band Les Sphinx and found success as a teenager with her adaptation of Miriam Makeba's "Les Trois Z" which played on national radio. She recorded the album Pretty with the Camerounese producer Ekambi Brilliant and her brother Oscar. It featured the songs Ninive, Gbe Agossi and a tribute to the singer Bella Bellow, one of her role models. The success of the album allowed her to tour all over West Africa. Continuing political conflicts in Benin prevented her from being an independent artist in her own country and led her to relocate to Paris in 1982.
While working various day jobs to pay for her tuition, Angelique studied music at the CIM, a reputable Jazz school in Paris where she met and married musician and producer Jean Hebrail with whom she has composed most of her music. She started out as a backup singer in local bands. In 1985, she became the front singer of the known Euro-African jazz/rock band Jasper van't Hof's Pili Pili. Three Pili Pili studio albums followed: Jakko(1987) Be In Two Minds (1988, produced by Marlon Klein) and Hotel Babo (1990). By the end of the 1980s, she had become one of the most popular live performers in Paris and recorded a solo album called Parakou for the Open Jazz Label.
She was then discovered in Paris by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell who signed her in 1991. She recorded four albums for Island until Chris Blackwell's departure from the label. In 2000 she was signed in New York by Columbia Records for which she recorded two albums.
Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles; as well as her childhood idols Bella Bellow, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Miriam Makeba and Carlos Santana.
She has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002. With UNICEF, she has traveled to many countries in Africa. Reports on her visits can be found on the UNICEF site. Kidjo founded The Batonga Foundation which gives girls a secondary school and higher education so they can take the lead in changing Africa. The foundation is doing this by granting scholarships, building secondary schools, increasing enrollment, improving teaching standards, providing school supplies, supporting mentor programs, exploring alternative education models and advocating for community awareness of the value of education for girls.
She has campaigned for Oxfam at the 2005 Hong Kong WTO meeting, for the their Fair Trade Campaign and travelled with them in North Kenya and at the border of Darfur and Chad with a group of women leaders in 2007 and contributed to the video for the In My Name Campaign with Will I Am from The Black Eyed Peas. She has hosted the Mo Ibrahim Foundation's Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in Alexandria, Egypt on November 26th, 2007 and on November 15th, 2008
Djovamin Yi
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tote va min non dou
Deko kpo moun, va djro la
Agbe bio min a non dou
Djova min la yi da
Kpo djidjoe, enou koko
Djova min yi da
Lonlon, nonvi yin lo
Djo va min yi, djo va min yi, o lonlon
Djo va min yi, djo va min y
The lyrics to Angélique Kidjo's song Djovamin Yi are in Fon, a language spoken in Benin, where the artist is from. At the beginning of the song, the artist sings "Ewo ke va le yia" which can be interpreted as an indication of the start of a story. The rest of the song seems to be a narrative of the story, with descriptions of different characters and their actions.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "Djo va min yi" multiple times, which translates to "I am happy". It's possible that this line represents a moment of joy or relief in the story being told. The overall sound of the song is upbeat and lively, which reinforces the idea that it is a celebratory or happy song.
The song also includes references to traditional aspects of Benin culture, such as the use of the djidjoe drum and the presence of agbe bio, a type of religious figure often invoked in Vodou practices. It's clear that Kidjo is drawing on her cultural heritage in the creation of this song, and using her platform as an artist to showcase and celebrate the traditions of her people.
Line by Line Meaning
Ewo ke va le yia
As we journey through life
Tote va min non dou
We encounter challenges and difficulties
Deko kpo moun, va djro la
We face obstacles in our path
Agbe bio min a non dou
Despite these struggles, we continue to press forward
Djova min la yi da
We must find strength and resilience within ourselves
Kpo djidjoe, enou koko
Through perseverance and determination
Djova min yi da
We can overcome any challenge
Lonlon, nonvi yin lo
And emerge stronger on the other side
Djo va min yi, djo va min yi, o lonlon
We must keep moving forward, no matter what
Djo va min yi, djo va min yi
We must have faith in our own abilities
Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jean Louis Pierre Hebrail, Angelique Kidjo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kwame Atoapoma Oteanankanduro
on Summertime
Awesome! Haa, I want the lyrics in the language she sang in.