Angélique Kidjo (born on July 14, 1960) is a Grammy Award-winning Beninese … Read Full Bio ↴Angélique Kidjo (born on July 14, 1960) is a Grammy Award-winning Beninese singer, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos.

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

Welcome
Angélique Kidjo Lyrics

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Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé
Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé o tomé n' houé o linlooo
Odin agbokpé min lé
Afoun tountoun do fibissé lo
Lègbon datché min bi lé
Houéssivo lodji bo sinyin lo

Bo gbodjè tché ka glo nin
N'do nan djè houétché gbé lo
Tchobo ozan o nan kou min
Djohon fifa non ho domin
Lobo lè zé gbè houan wa
N'déta mon glémin sin azizo
Tcho bo ozan o kou la
Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé
Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé People say "welcome"
People say "my house is your house"
People say "welcome"
People say "my house is your house" Tchobo zan kou la
Lobo zan kou nin
Houégbé sè kpo la
Agbo kpé min lé
Tchobo zan kou la
Lobo zan kou nin
Houégbé sè kpo la
Agbo kpé min lé Odin houn sèkpo houétché gbé
Onan siouhou mon gbodjè
Minlè domin lè lo awa djè wè
Kpo noukiko ,kpo ahoua kpo
Lé homin houn sè tché gbon sinyin din, in, in, in
Min houé wiwa yon djin wè
Awa djidjè tché o ma man ha min
Na man ha min bissé wè People say "welcome"
People say "my house is your house"
People say "welcome",
People say "my house is your house" Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé

Assé assala malé
Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé

Overall Meaning

Angélique Kidjo's song "Welcome" is a joyous celebration of hospitality and the warmth of community. The song’s first lines, "Assé assala malé/Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé," translate to "they say ‘welcome’/ ‘my house is your house,’ they say ‘welcome.’" The song recalls a sense of belonging and community, with repeated lyrics emphasizing the idea that one’s home is always open and welcoming to others. The song’s upbeat tempo and multilingual lyrics highlight the diversity and joy of people coming together.

As the song progresses, Kidjo introduces a variety of percussion instruments, including djembe drums and the shekere, a West African rattle, providing a rich and layered musical landscape. Kidjo’s vocals carry the melody with an energy that is at once powerful and welcoming. The song portrays hospitality as a universal human value, singing about a joyous welcome regardless of one’s differences in culture or language.

Kidjo’s "Welcome" is a beautiful tribute to the idea that a true sense of community is one that is welcoming and inclusive. The lively beat and dynamic instrumentation of the song underscores the celebratory sentiment of a warm and open invitation.

Line by Line Meaning

Assé assala malé
This phrase is repeated several times throughout the song and although the specific meaning is unclear, it is likely a traditional greeting in Fon, the language of her native Benin. It can be interpreted as a greeting or welcome message.

Eyolo ouidah a assé assala malé kouo aé
This line means 'Welcome to Ouidah' which is a city in Benin and is known for its history of the slave trade. The line is likely meant to convey a sense of hospitality and welcome to visitors.

Odin agbokpé min lé
This line means 'I greet all of my ancestors' or 'I pay homage to my ancestors'. It is a common refrain in West African traditional religions and it acknowledges the importance of ancestors in African cultures.

Afoun tountoun do fibissé lo
This line is difficult to translate but it refers to the idea that all living beings are interconnected and that the actions of one can impact many. It is a philosophical and spiritual concept found in many African cultures.

Lègbon datché min bi lé
This line is likely an invocation of the vodun deity Legba who is often considered a mediator between humans and the spiritual world. It is common to call upon Legba in rituals and ceremonies in many West African cultures.

Houéssivo lodji bo sinyin lo
This line is a reference to a specific neighborhood in Cotonou, the largest city in Benin. It likely has a personal significance to Kidjo as it is the city where she grew up.

Bo gbodjè tché ka glo nin
This line is difficult to translate but it may refer to the idea of unity and coming together to solve shared problems. The phrase roughly means 'all hands on deck'.

N'do nan djè houétché gbé lo
This line means 'We cannot do it alone' which is a sentiment often expressed in African cultures that value communal efforts and cooperation.

Tchobo ozan o nan kou min
This line is also difficult to translate but it may be a reference to the ocean and its significance in West African religions and cultures. Water is often associated with spiritual purification and renewal.

Djohon fifa non ho domin
This line means 'May the spirits take control' or 'Let the spirits guide us'. It is a common refrain in many African spiritual traditions that involves calling upon the spirits for protection and guidance.

Lobo lè zé gbè houan wa
This line means 'Let's all come together to dance'. Dance is an important cultural practice in many African societies and is often used as a form of celebration and ritual.

N'déta mon glémin sin azizo
This line is difficult to translate but it may be a reference to the idea of destiny and the role of fate in our lives. It roughly means 'May destiny guide us without fail'.

Tcho bo ozan o kou la
This line is similar to an earlier line ('Tchobo ozan o nan kou min') and likely refers to the power and significance of the ocean, which plays an important role in many African cultures.

Tchobo zan kou la
This line means 'Come and dance with me'. Dance, as mentioned earlier, is an important part of African cultures and is often used as a form of social bonding and celebration.

Lobo zan kou nin
This line means 'Let's dance together'. It reinforces the idea of dance as a communal and unifying activity.

Houégbé sè kpo la
This line is unclear but it may be a reference to a specific place or community in Benin, where Kidjo is from.

Agbo kpé min lé
This line is a reference to the vodun deity Agbo who is associated with healing and medicine. It is common to call upon Agbo in healing rituals for physical and spiritual ailments.

Odin houn sèkpo houétché gbé
This line is similar to an earlier line ('Odin agbokpé min lé') and it means 'I greet my ancestors'. It acknowledges the vital role that ancestors play in African spiritual beliefs and practices.

Onan siouhou mon gbodjè
This line means 'We are all part of the same family'. It reinforces the idea of unity and community that is emphasized throughout the song.

Minlè domin lè lo awa djè wè
This line is difficult to translate but it may be a reference to the idea of the 'divine spark' that exists within all of us. It means 'the divine force inside of us helps us to live in harmony'.

Kpo noukiko ,kpo ahoua kpo
This line is unclear but it may be a reference to specific cultural practices or beliefs in Benin, where Kidjo is from.

Lé homin houn sè tché gbon sinyin din, in, in, in
This line means 'All humans are connected to nature'. It reinforces the idea of interconnectedness that is emphasized throughout the song.

Min houé wiwa yon djin wè
This line is unclear but it may be a reference to a specific cultural practice or belief in Benin, where Kidjo is from.

Awa djidjè tché o ma man ha min
This line means 'We cannot live without each other'. It reinforces the idea of community and cooperation that is emphasized throughout the song.

Na man ha min bissé wè
This line means 'Let's all come together'. It is a fitting end to the song, which emphasizes the importance of community, unity, and cooperation.

People say 'welcome'
This line is repeated throughout the song in various forms and languages. It reinforces the message of hospitality and welcome that permeates the song.

People say 'my house is your house'
This line, like the one above, is repeated throughout the song in various forms and languages. It reinforces the idea of community and sharing that is emphasized throughout the song.

Lyrics © WARNER CHAPPELL MUSIC FRANCE
Written by: Jean Louis Pierre Hebrail, Angelique Kidjo

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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