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
Fifa
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bo nan vi min bo houn dji lo
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lééé
Bo vi vivè wa gbètché min lo
Sousou towé nin yon looo
O djidido wè n'bio nou wé
Afotowé didé nin yon loooo
Bonou wiwa towé ninon té
Fifa wè nan non ha wé
Gbèmin dié awa é
Fifa iyééééé nou we lo
N'do fifa iyéééééééé
Fifa awa djidjè wanyinyin nou wé lo
Aklounon ninon ha wé lé
Gbèto wé awa djidjè nin dé lo
Aklounon ninon ha wé lééé
Bossè doha to towé sè do
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé
Bonan vi min bo houn dji lo
Gbèdo dokoun nou min léééé
Bo vi vivè wa gbètché min lo
Gbèmin dié awa é
Fifa wè nan non ha wé
Gbèmin dié awa é
Fifa iyééééé nou we lo
N'do fifa iyéééééééé
Fifa awa djidjè wanyinyin nou wé lo
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Bonan min vi bo dji loo
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Bonan min vi bo dji loo
fifa,fifa,fifa
The lyrics to Angélique Kidjo's song Fifa are sung in the West African language of Fon, and describe a celebration in honor of a powerful and respected leader named Fifa. The song begins with the phrase "Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé," which roughly translates to "Let's dance for the king." The lyrics go on to describe the joyous atmosphere of the celebration, with people singing and dancing in honor of Fifa.
Throughout the song, Angélique Kidjo uses imagery and metaphor to depict the significance of Fifa to his people. For example, she sings "Sousou towé nin yon looo" which loosely translates to "The Sousou bird has flown away" - a metaphor which suggests that Fifa has passed away or left his people. Despite this, the song remains joyful and celebratory, with the chorus repeating the phrase "Fifa iyééééé nou we lo" (meaning "Fifa is here with us").
Overall, the lyrics to Fifa celebrate the life and legacy of a powerful and respected leader, and the joy and unity that his reign brought to his people.
Line by Line Meaning
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé
We are united in the rhythm of Gbèdo dokoun
Bo nan vi min bo houn dji lo
We dance in harmony to the sound of the drums
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lééé
We are connected by the energy of Gbèdo dokoun
Bo vi vivè wa gbètché min lo
We feel the joy of the music in our hearts
Sousou towé nin yon looo
Our ancestors are present in the rhythm
O djidido wè n'bio nou wé
Their spirit moves through us
Afotowé didé nin yon loooo
Their voice is heard in the beat
Bonou wiwa towé ninon té
Their legacy lives on through us
Gbèmin dié awa é
We are one with each other
Fifa wè nan non ha wé
Fifa, the god of music, is with us
Fifa iyééééé nou we lo
We praise and honor him
N'do fifa iyéééééééé
Fifa, we offer our gratitude
Fifa awa djidjè wanyinyin nou wé lo
Fifa, guide us with your wisdom
Aklounon ninon ha wé lé
Our movements are fluid and graceful
Gbèto wé awa djidjè nin dé lo
Our steps are guided by the spirit of the music
Aklounon ninon ha wé lééé
We dance with passion and joy
Bossè doha to towé sè do
We move together as one
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Fifa, the god of music
Bonan min vi bo dji loo
Let us dance and celebrate together
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Fifa, the god of music
Gbèdo dokoun nou min lé
We are united in the rhythm of Gbèdo dokoun
fifa,fifa,fifa,
Fifa, the god of music
Bonan min vi bo dji loo
Let us dance and celebrate together
fifa,fifa,fifa
Fifa, the god of music
Contributed by Bella O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@anasthasieaigbede5974
Très belle mélodie qui me transporte.
Chanson remplie de sens.
Merci à notre grande diva.❤❤❤
@SacredPathoftheWarrior
My step dad played The Best of Angelique Kidjo in the car when I was around 11. I fell in love with it's wonder and beauty. Just this week, I got reconnected with it, and now she feels like a Music Mother to me. A maternal spirit to guide me through a confusing time. <3
@franciscodesouza1881
La voie me fait voyager à travers le monD.
Qui l'écoute en 2019
@Ririssa23
Ça me rappelle mon enfance 😊😊😊💜💜💜
Qui écoute en 2020?
@ginettegamedjo2584
Moi
@user-th7kl8nz9z
2023
@priscalydiem.n.gnanguenon938
Très belle mélodie je l’écoute tout le temps
Bravo ma star du BENIN
@bertilleomores9052
ces chansons me font toujours leffet de quelques choses d nouveaux. et de beau.
je l'aime cette dame.
longue vie à toi
@mahamanetoure4160
Elle est toujours vivante ?
@elodietatianaglonou7827
@@mahamanetoure4160 bien sûre