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
Wé-Wé
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Zanzan, n′fon n'yin wan nou we
Gbadounou zan zan n′yin wan nou we
Zanzan, n'fon n'yin wan nou we
Gbadounou zan zan ny′yin wan nou we
N′yin wan nou we, we mindo
Nougbo nou vou minde mantoun
N'yin wan nou we, minbissesse do
Zanzan Gbadanou N′yin wan nou we N'yin wan nou we
Zanzan Gbadanou N′yin wan nou we, I love you
Zanzan n'fon, houn yin wan nou we
Keze zamin houn, I love you
Bridge
N′yin wan nou we, we mindo
Nougbo nou vou minde mantoun
N'yin wan nou we, minbissesse do
Wanyinyin houzou tou lo
In the song Wé-Wé by Angélique Kidjo, the bridge is a repetitive chorus that signifies a call and response tradition. The opening line of the bridge, "Zanzan, n′fon n'yin wan nou we," translates to "Zanzan, I heard your voice but I don't see you." This line is an homage to the traditional African belief of ancestors speaking to people through the wind. The wind symbolizes the voice of ancestors, and the line means that the voice is heard but not seen. The next line, "Gbadounou zan zan n′yin wan nou we," is a reference to the belief that every word spoken is important, and it encourages people to listen carefully to every word spoken. The repetition of the phrase "N′yin wan nou we" is an expression of longing, meaning "I miss you," and it is repeated several times throughout the bridge.
In the next part of the bridge, "we mindo, nougbo nou vou minde mantoun," which means "our minds are one, we will never forget," Kidjo speaks of unity in the community. She sings about remembering one's roots and culture and how important it is to maintain them despite the constant change in the world. When she says "minbissesse do, Wanyinyin houzou ayihoun," she talks about the future, saying that she will continue to sing and dance despite the difficulties that come with them. The repetition of "Zanzan Gbadanou N′yin wan nou we" further reinforces the message of unity and the longing for the ancestors.
Line by Line Meaning
Zanzan, n′fon n'yin wan nou we
Zanzan, please listen to what I have to say
Gbadounou zan zan n′yin wan nou we
Gbadounou, I'm calling out to you as well
N′yin wan nou we, we mindo
This is what we're capable of
Nougbo nou vou minde mantoun
Our capabilities are beyond imagination
N'yin wan nou we, minbissesse do
Let's make progress together
Wanyinyin houzou ayihoun
Through our efforts and hard work
Zanzan Gbadanou N′yin wan nou we N'yin wan nou we
Zanzan and Gbadounou, please join us in this effort
Zanzan Gbadanou N′yin wan nou we, I love you
I have great respect for both of you
Zanzan n'fon, houn yin wan nou we
Zanzan, don't let us down
Keze zamin houn, I love you
I fully trust you
N′yin wan nou we, we mindo
This is what we're capable of
Nougbo nou vou minde mantoun
Our capabilities are beyond imagination
N'yin wan nou we, minbissesse do
Let's make progress together
Wanyinyin houzou tou lo
We will achieve greatness
Writer(s): Hebrail Jean Louis, Kidjo Carmen Angelique
Contributed by Scarlett B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@bizbanoelle
Ma chere Angelique Kidjo bonjour! Felicitations pour tout ce que vous faites pour redorer l'image de notre mere commune: Mother Africa. I am so proud of you. J'espere que vous trouverez quelque chose a exlpoiter dans la suggestion poetique suivante:
RACE AGAINST RACE
Race does not exist; but racism does. RACISM is DEAD WRONG. Thus, let us help and heal the racist mind.
Why should I be ashamed of who I am; and you not be ashamed of who you are?
Why being a Negro, I mean Black, African, Diaspora, should be a shame; and being different from a Negro not a blame?
Why should I be condemned just because of my color; when my mind is sane and my inner being reflects human values and wonders that are available in all the "RACES".
Why should I change my name just because it sounds different from yours; when yours too sounds strange and so different from mine? Why should I fake a smile just to please you; while my entire being is painfully dying under the weight of your racial oppression? No!!! I will never and never give up my God-given rights to satisfy your biased mind, your bigotry and hypocrisy. No!!! How could I? I am a human being by excellence, the one who uses her mind before acting; the absolute opposite of an animal. Yes!!! I am a Muntu, a human being by excellence; the one who uses her brain before doing.
Therefore, stop denying my INTELLIGENCE; and start recognizing my HUMANNESS.
Lumumba was a Negro, an African, wasn't him intelligent; Sankara was a Negro, an African, wasn't him intelligent?
Mandela was a Negro, an African wasn't him intelligent; martin Luther King was a Negro, a Black, wasn't him intelligent?
And the list of intelligent Negroes goes on and would go on and on. So, RACIST MIND, start dismantling your faulty vision; and stop your oppressive and delusional strategy and hegemonic tactics. Stop denying racism and start recognizing it. Since racism is dead wrong; because racism is a contagious disease, a plague. It ruins my life, it ruins your life; it ruins our lives.
O children of immortality! Let us come together and fight racism in its multifaceted forms. O children of immortality! Let us come together and show our common humanness, worldwide. Let us fight racism to the end; because racism hurts and it really does. Racism is dead wrong! Yes it is dead wrong, and dead today!
PS:
I am Noelle Bizi Bazouma, a.k.a bizbanoelle - An Author, Artist and longtime Activist against Racism, especially SYSTEMIC RACISM and its insidious acolyte: INTELLECTUAL RACISM. I have authored many literature videos, among them the series INTRODUCTION TO AFRICA, PART 13-A and PART-13 B or PART-13 ( the full version) which exposes the INDO- EUROPEAN INTELLECTUAL IMPOSTURE AT THE ROOT CAUSE OF RACISM. The aforementioned poem is my philanthropic contribution to the musical world. Here is a suggestion, an insight into an online musical competition. I allow any inspired musician who shares my passion against RACISM to turn the above poem into a wonderful song. For technical reasons, you may modify or adjust some aspects of my poem. But, for God sake, please keep its substance intact; and sing it with love and confidence, in any languages.
Kind regards.
@bienvenukenfack2734
Ki est la 2024 merci l'artiste pour cette chef d'oeuvre bne année ke le seigneur des anneaux veuillez sur toi
@alonsodavidreyesrodriguez7947
Excellent song! Angelique is one of the most criminally underrated singers ever.
@organzaaznagro3322
What about you, do you understand a single word ?
@marcsa8720
what's your point? You don´t need to understand a word to appreciate an artist work!
@franckattede4046
She has three grammy awards! not so underrated.
.
@BigHandShake
Underrated? When, where, by whom? She's one of the most revered global citizens, ever!
@saraib7064
not even a single word that i understand lol
@emojipotter7620
Who listen this in 2024 ?
@tamunoimamadaniel-kalio9450
One of the best songs of all time....Angelique Kidjo is such an incredible artist, her voice, her melodies and instrumentals, everything combined creates magic. She is one the greatest musicians of all time in my opinion.
@ClaudhyaLifestyle
Waw mon enfance!! Merci Angelique Kidjo pour ces belles mélodies qui me faisaient bouger devant la télé en silipe toute petite!! On t'aime et que Dieu te benisse !!