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
No Worry
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yélélé ago ago ago
Ma sounkoun non, oré
Gbagbé tchoro
Ma sounkoun, mon tchogbo
Ekoun ko lé gbé wa
Onan ayé yi, ogoun
Ife m'bè lo nan wa foun è
No worry
Ma soun koun mon omodé
No worries, at all
Ma sounkoun, mon omomi tchogbo
Yélélé ago ago ago
Rainy days and lonely nights
Yélélé ago ago ago
Only last a little while
Iwo nin kan, lokou
Ninou ayé yi
Enin to ofè tosso
M'kpé, iwonin ifè
M'bo lo wa lénin
Iwo nin kan lo oun wa
Sounkoun, oko olé
No worry
Ma soun koun mon omodé
No worries, at all
Ma sounkoun, mon omomi tchogbo
All I wanna say
Is it all works out
Going thru then
Just to get to now
Whenever you're down
If you never feel pain
Then you never know love
No worry
Ma soun koun mon omodé
No worries, at all
Ma sounkoun, mon omomi tchogbo
The song "No Worry" by Angélique Kidjo is a soothing anthem about overcoming difficult times and finding hope. The song starts with repetitive chants of "Yélélé ago ago ago," which are a common feature of West African music and add a sense of rhythm and energy to the track. The lyrics are sung in Fon, one of the major languages spoken in Benin, Kidjo's home country.
The song's chorus, "No worry, ma soun koun mon omodé, no worries, at all," is a reminder to not worry and to trust that everything will work out in the end, no matter how tough things may seem. The verse discusses the challenges we all face in life, from rainy days and lonely nights to the difficult people and circumstances that we encounter. But Kidjo's message is clear: these difficult times only last for a while, and we should take comfort in knowing that they will eventually pass.
Kidjo's lyrics also touch on the themes of love and pain, suggesting that the hardships we endure are necessary to fully appreciate the love in our lives. The lyrics, "If you never feel pain, then you never know love," imply that the pain we experience can ultimately lead to a greater understanding and appreciation of the love and happiness we find.
Line by Line Meaning
Yélélé ago ago ago
Repetition of a phrase that has no literal meaning, but sets the tone of the song and creates a sense of joyful energy
Ma sounkoun non, oré
My name is Oré
Gbagbé tchoro
Cancel the suffering
Ma sounkoun, mon tchogbo
My name is Tchogbo
Ekoun ko lé gbé wa
We will prosper together
Onan ayé yi, ogoun
We fight through obstacles to come out on top
Moun ra si, itchè
Everyone has their own struggles
Ife m'bè lo nan wa foun è
Love is what binds us together in this world
No worry
Don't worry or stress
Ma soun koun mon omodé
My child's name is Omodé
No worries, at all
There's nothing to worry about
Rainy days and lonely nights
Tough times
Only last a little while
But they don't last forever
Iwo nin kan, lokou
You alone
Ninou ayé yi
In this life
Enin to ofè tosso
Those who persevere
M'kpé, iwonin ifè
Will see the reward of love
M'bo lo wa lénin
And will enjoy it for a long time
Iwo nin kan lo oun wa
You alone own your life
Sounkoun, oko olé
Or Olé's husband
All I wanna say
The artist wants to deliver a message
Is it all works out
Everything will be fine in the end
Going thru then
We sometimes have to go through tough times
Just to get to now
To appreciate the present
Whenever you're down
When you feel sad
If you never feel pain
If we never feel pain
Then you never know love
We wouldn't know the value of love and happiness without hardships
Writer(s): Angelique Kidjo, Robbie Nevil, , Jean Louis Pierre Hebrail, Thomas
Contributed by Mateo H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Dickie Larue
I bought this cd when it first came out in Houston, Tx...Year's later I was in Barcelona...and Ms. Kidjo just happen to be in town...The Rest is history...Magical night and performance! One of my favorite tracks from the Album...Blessings and positive energy from Portugal! 🇺🇲🇵🇹✌🤙🤟🤠
ZATONGA Régis
Wonderful!Makes me travel throughout space.
platinumblondie
i love this song!!!!!!!!
DJ KBOZ
This is where LoFi is at, Talk about being ahead of your time
Bon3030
Gorgeous!
Johnson Depause
Too bad, it's still the same clip from this exstatic song for many years now.....
G.E.M TV
What language is she speaking
Antonella Cozzi
yoruba :)