Black Voices

Issue date: 4/27/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: www.kidjo.com Angelique Kidjo

Media Credit: Chanmi Kidjo waves to the audience at Bovard auditorium. She is joined by audience members excited to dance alongside her. [Click to enlarge]

"Are you ready for me?" afro-punk artist, Angelique Kidjo asked the audience before every song in her concert held in Bovard Auditorium on March 26.

If there was anyone in Bovard who was not ready for Kidjo, then they were in the wrong place.

She paused for a few seconds to allow the audience to get ready, then it was time to visit her next musical destination.

Kidjo's musical style incorporates traditional African soul along with a blend of funk, jazz, salsa and rock.

She started the concert with a slow tune then picked up the pace for the rest of the concert.

The songstress was not willing to accept "chair dancing," rocking one's body while seated. Instead, she charged everyone to get up from their seat and dance.

Kidjo stressed that we only live once and for a short amount of time so that time shouldn't be spent chair dancing.

The auditorium was radiating with energy. During intermission, the band continued to play music and an excited audience member jumped on stage and began dancing.

Her musical repertoire is very diverse and she sang a cover of "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones, who she feels is the greatest rock band ever because "they were aware that without the blues, most other genres would not exist."

For one of her last songs, Kidjo invited audience members to share the stage with her and she danced alongside the group.

She even encouraged them all to have their solo dance time and the entire house was on its feet.

Kidjo was born in Contonou, Benin a West African country. Her native tongue is Fon, but she is fluent and has songs in multiple languages including; French, Yoruba and English.

She is politically active and mixes her gift of song with her passion for volunteering to give both educate and entertain listeners.

Since 2002, Kidjo has served as a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador. In March of this year she became involved in "Africa for Women's Rights" a campaign launched by International Federation of Human Rights.

Kidjo says that people often judge her because she is a black woman, yet such judgements don't phase her because she is proud of her heritage.

For her last song, Kidjo taught the audience a traditional Beninese blessing. While singing the piece, she walked through the entire auditorium, shaking hands with and hugging audience members.

It was a sign of gratitude for her fans and many embraced her for it; they understood her despite how she sang in a foreign language--proof that music is truly the universal.

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