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
Salala
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh
Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh
Choir and Angelique Kidjo (chorus):
Salala sa la la-la (Sa la-la sa la la)
Salala sa la la-la (Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la)
Angelique Kidjo and choir:
Awa Oman Djo Awa Oman Yonou
Peter Gabriel:
O mama turn on the light in this place
There's no smile like the smile on your face
There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in
There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in
Choir and Angelique Kidjo:
Salala sa la la-la (Sa la-la sa la la)
Choir and Peter Gabriel
Salala sa la la-la (Hey-hey-eh-eh)
Choir, Angelique Kidjo and Peter Gabriel
Salala sa la la-la (Teba Fodjou Kan Ananbi Kilotche)
Angelique Kidjo and choir:
Awa Oman Djo Awa Oman Yonou
Angelique Kidjo:
Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la
Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la
Angelique Kidjo and Peter Gabriel:
Teba Fodjou Kan Ananbi Kilotche
Teba Fodjou Kan Ananbi Kilotche
(Guitar Solo)
Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh
Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh
Angelique Kidjo and Peter Gabriel:
Oh mama turn on the light in this place
There's no smile like the smile on your face
Peter Gabriel:
There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in
Angelique Kidjo and Peter Gabriel:
There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in!
Peter Gabriel (echo):
Kilo fetche (8x)
Peter Gabriel and Angelique Kidjo:
Oh mama turn on the light in this place (SA LA-LA)
There's no smile like the smile on your face (SAA LA LA)
Angelique Kidjo, choir and Peter Gabriel in canon:
Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la (Salala sa la la-la)
Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la (Salala sa la la-la)
Salala ananbi tio omon o (Salala sa la la-la)
Salala ananbi tio omon ni (Salala sa la la-la)
SA LA-LA (Salala sa la la-la) (Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh)
SAA LA LA (Salala sa la la-la) (Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh)
Choir and Peter Gabriel:
Salala sa la la-la (Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh)
Salala sa la la-la
Eh Eh Heh-eh Eh
The song Salala by Angelique Kidjo is a beautiful tribute to the power of joy and light in one's life. The intro features Peter Gabriel's voice, and the chorus is sung by the choir and Angelique Kidjo. The words "Salala sa la la-la" are repeated throughout the song, accompanied by a guitar solo and various singers.
The lyrics speak of the importance of joy in one's life, and how it can come from the happiness of another. The words "There's no smile like the smile on your face" and "There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in" articulate this message. Kidjo's voice is powerful and emotion-filled, and she is able to convey the beauty of this message in a truly unique way.
The song is a beautiful reminder of the power of joy and the importance of sharing that joy with others. It also speaks to the importance of recognition and appreciation of those who bring joy into our lives. It is a powerful and uplifting song that can bring hope and light to all who hear it.
Line by Line Meaning
Salala sa la la-la (Sa la-la sa la la)
The repeated refrain celebrates a feeling of joy and praises the arrival of someone or something in the community
Salala sa la la-la (Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la)
The line praises the wonder and marvel of this person or thing that has arrived
Salala sa la la-la (Teba Fodjou Kan Ananbi Kilotche)
This line continues to express joy and excitement in the arrival
Awa Oman Djo Awa Oman Yonou
This line is a repetition of a phrase that could mean 'here we go again', perhaps expressing the cyclical nature of things coming and going in the community
O mama turn on the light in this place
The artist is requesting or urging someone to bring clarity and brightness into the current situation or community
There's no smile like the smile on your face
The joy and pleasure that the person's arrival has brought or will bring is immeasurable
There's no joy like the joy of a soul coming in
The arrival of this person or thing is something that brings great happiness and satisfaction to the community
Omon Moun Shinou Awanbi sa la-la
This line is a repetition of a previous line to further express wonder and marvel regarding the arrival
Teba Fodjou Kan Ananbi Kilotche
This line is a repetition of a previous line to express even more enthusiasm and excitement about the arrival
Kilo fetche (8x)
This phrase may be a call to celebration or action, something to further express the joy of the community
Salala ananbi tio omon o (Salala sa la la-la)
This line continues to celebrate and express joy in the arrival, using different words and phrases from earlier in the song
Salala ananbi tio omon ni (Salala sa la la-la)
This line continues to express the excitement and joy of the arrival, perhaps using slightly different phrasing as a way to keep the celebration fresh
Contributed by Ellie M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@WhitMcMo
Listened to this song every day of my second pregnancy. It's my son's birth song! Happy Birthday Murphy Coulter Morrison! 11/2/07
@mamaboocee
I love both these artists, what a treat to have them together!
@SakshiKapoor10
Listening to this on repeat and every time it gives me goosebumps.. such a beautiful beautiful song! :')
@weezelization
This song ranks right up there with my all time favorite tunes, what a talent !
@WhitMcMo
I listened to this on repeat during my pregnancy and labor with my second child. A beautiful birth song.
@kunlemessi8913
Possibly my all time favorite song!! 😍😍😍😍
@leo33281
i listen to alot of heavy metal and rock.. like metallica..megadeth..slayer and others...but this is such a beautiful beautiful song!!!!!!!!!!
@Broblem12
Such voices together as Angelique's and Peter's. Wow. I will have to explore more of her music over time!!
@ethioredpill305
Heard it this morning and I am listening to it still 😍😍😍😍
@upstander18
I'm working on a story about Africa (long way from being published) and this song serves as a much needed inspiration. Lovely song! One of the best!