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
Move On Up
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm awoken by a cold shiver
Wind blows change, change
Sweet rushing through my veins
No, I just might die
Overtaken by the high tide
Feel the rain against my skin
Move on me
Move on me
Move on me
Shake, shake, should have learned
Get that close and you might get burned
Sweet heat and the sweet lies
So betrayed by the look in your eyes
That look I know so well
It's a heaven with a taste of hell
On your lips and down within
Drown my soul, baby let it begin
Move on me
Move on me
Move on me
Give me two hands I can hold
I'll tell you things I've never told
Move on me
If you move on me, yeah
Baby, timing's everything
Now's the time to let you in
Move on me
If you move on me, yeah
If you move on me
If you move on me
If you move on me
If you move
Move on me
The song "Move On Up" by Angelique Kidjo and John Legend is about change, betrayal, and the highs and lows of love. The lyrics suggest the feeling of being awakened by a sudden change, engulfed by a rush of emotions, and the overwhelming feeling of being drowned in love. The first verse uses the imagery of shaking and cold shivers to demonstrate the feeling of being jolted awake by a sudden change. The sweet rushing through the veins signifies the jolt of emotion that comes with the change. In contrast, the second verse talks about the feeling of being burned by love, and how the look in someone's eyes can betray everything that was once believed to be true.
The chorus "Move on me" is a plea for the other person to make a move, to take action in the relationship. The song suggests that it's time to let go of the past, move forward, and take a chance on love. The bridge suggests that timing is everything and that the time is now to take a leap of faith. The lyrics suggest that the singer is ready to be vulnerable and open with the other person, hoping that they will reciprocate the same feelings.
Overall, "Move On Up" portrays the rollercoaster of emotions that come with love, and the need for someone to take a step and move the relationship forward.
Line by Line Meaning
Shake, shake, quiver, quiver
I feel tremors through my body, making me shiver
I'm awoken by a cold shiver
I awaken with a sudden shock to my senses
Wind blows change, change
The winds of change bring new opportunities
Sweet rushing through my veins
Excitement and anticipation fill me
No, I just might die
I fear that the changes ahead may overwhelm me
Overtaken by the high tide
I am at risk of being swept away by strong emotion
Feel the rain against my skin
I am acutely aware of my surroundings
Drown my soul in the water again
I am losing control amid these changes
Move on me
Take me to a new place
Move on me
My heart is open for change
Move on me
I am ready to move forward
Shake, shake, should have learned
I have had experiences that should have taught me better
Get that close and you might get burned
Being too trusting can lead to pain and betrayal
Sweet heat and the sweet lies
The allure of a sweet deception can be irresistible
So betrayed by the look in your eyes
I have been hurt by the deceit in someone's gaze
That look I know so well
I have seen this look before
It's a heaven with a taste of hell
The feeling of love can bring both joy and pain
On your lips and down within
The sensation of love is both physical and emotional
Drown my soul, baby let it begin
Surrendering to love can be overwhelming and all-consuming
Give me two hands I can hold
I want someone to be there for me, supporting and caring for me
I'll tell you things I've never told
I want to share my deepest secrets and emotions
Baby, timing's everything
The right moment for love is crucial
Now's the time to let you in
I am ready to open my heart to love
If you move on me, yeah
I am waiting for someone to take a chance on me
If you move on me
I am willing to take a chance on love and new experiences
If you move on me
All I need is for someone to make the first move
If you move on me
I am ready for change to happen
Move on me
Let's take a step forward and see where the journey leads us
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol CMG Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Curtis L. Mayfield
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kwame Atoapoma Oteanankanduro
on Summertime
Awesome! Haa, I want the lyrics in the language she sang in.