Angélique Kidjo: ‘Music Resets Your Brain. It’s My Breath, My Purpose – It’s What Helps Me Change the World’

Angélique Kidjo has been an amazing ambassador for African music over a stellar 40-year career and will be headlining this fall’s EFG London Jazz Festival at Royal Albert Hall. Following her own advice to young African artists – refuse to be categorized – she has delighted audiences for decades with her own unique brand of music that transcends genres. Last May, Kidjo was awarded the prestigious Polar Music Prize, an international music gong celebrating the importance of music and recognising exceptional achievements. While the roll-call of previous Laureates reads like her concert guest-list (Sting, Youssou N’Dour, Yo-Yo Ma, Peter Gabriel and Kronos Quartet, all previous Kidjo collaborators), she says it raised the bar on her career.

EVENING STANDARD