ANGÉLIQUE KIDJO (speaking French): ♪ Take a look at these hands ♪ ANNOUNCER: With 16 albums to her name and a unique ability to fuse different genres, Angélique Kidjo has rightfully earned the title Queen of African Music.
(speaking French): (singing in non-English language) ANNOUNCER: "Queen Kidjo" on Afropop.
♪ ♪ Hey!
♪ ♪ Hey!
♪ ♪ Hey!
Hey!
Hey!
ANNOUNCER: Funding for Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the MacArthur Foundation.
Inshallah!
(chuckles) ♪ ♪ DRIVER: I can tell you what the other option is.
The quickest one.
DRIVER: Yeah, well, this is the quickest.
Okay.
Okay.
If it's the quickest to the Brooklyn Bridge, let's go for it.
Can we turn the radio up, please?
Thank you so much, sir.
(sighs) (in French): (Kidjo speaking French) (GPS playing) ♪ ♪ KIDJO (in French): (GPS continues) Good evening, the world!
Are you ready to sing the universal spirit of Africa With me tonight?
(crowd cheers and applauds) (singing in non-English language) Let me hear you!
(singing in non-English language) Let's go!
(background singers singing in non-English language) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (singing in non-English language) (crowd cheers and applauds) KIDJO: ♪ L'étandard sanglant est levé ♪ WOMAN (in French): KIDJO: (crowd cheers and applauds) CROWD (singing in French): (singing and cheering fades, cello playing "La Marseillaise") (finishes with "Happy Birthday") (ends with flourish) Happy birthday.
Joyeux anniversaire.
Happy Bastille Day.
Muah!
(laughing) You make six-zero look like it's 18.
You're always ready for every challenge.
You're always ready to put your all.
And that is why I love you.
And that's why I'm inspired by you.
To me, you're not just the Daughter of Independence, but the Queen of Freedom.
ALICIA KEYS: The most profound, powerful, unstoppable, incredible-heart, bigger-than-the-universe woman that I ever met.
You brought so much joy to my life with your music.
You helped me get my first Grammy.
Many more birthdays to come.
One love, yeah?
Jah.
Rastafari.
(fireworks echoing) ♪ ♪ KIDJO (in French): ♪ ♪ (speaking French): (crowd clapping in rhythm, Kidjo vocalizing) (fast-paced song playing) (music ends, crowd cheers and applauds) KIDJO (in French): YVES: (laughing) KIDJO (in French): (smacks lips) (claps, singing to record): ♪ With your bad self ♪ ♪ Say it loud ♪ ♪ I'm Black and I'm proud ♪ ♪ Say it loud ♪ ♪ And I'm Black and I'm proud ♪ (song continues on record) (in French): (laughs) ("Summertime" by Kidjo playing) KIDJO (in French): ("Summertime" continues) (singing in non-English language) (exhaling rhythmically) KIDJO (in French): - (singing in non-English language) KIDJO (in French): Mm... (piano playing) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) KIDJO (in French): (all singing in non-English language) KIDJO (in French): (crowd clapping in rhythm) MAKEBA: I want to say something.
This is the Queen of African Music.
(crowd cheers and applauds) KIDJO (in French): (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (song continues) (speaking French): (song continues) The way she ties her headscarf.
You know, she's not trying to hide.
She's trying to be seen.
She wants to stand for something.
That is what I see.
And I respect it so much, you know, in a world, a woman who's well-traveled, international, been everywhere, done everything, to hold on to her roots and want to dress and be addressed as an African songstress, I think that is a huge step in a world where a lot of us African artists wanna wear, you know, chinchillas.
(song continues) (catches breath) (speaking French): Uh... (exhales) (song ends) REPORTER (speaking French): (speaking French): ♪ ♪ KIDJO (in French): (speaking French): ♪ ♪ (Kidjo singing, guitar playing) (continues singing, man singing along softly) (singing in harmony) (singing continues) (song continues) (singing along softly) KIDJO (in French): MAN (in French): KIDJO: (shutter clicks) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (singing in non-English language) ♪ ♪ KIDJO (in French): ♪ Still winning ♪ ♪ Lost my (muted) ♪ ♪ Trying to act casual ♪ (in French): ♪ I feel like an accident ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Isn't it weird?
♪ (singing in non-English language) KIDJO (in French): ♪ ♪ (singing in French): (speaking French): (playing softly and slowly) (singing same song in French) (song continues) (in French): (singing in French): (speaking French): (singing in French) (speaking French): (laughing): (song based on Ravel's "Boléro" playing) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (song continues) (song continues) (song ends) (crowd cheers and applauds) KIDJO (in French): (singing in non-English language) (song continues) The first time I heard about Angélique was from a guy called Mamadou Konte, who was an African guy, lived in Paris and represented different musicians from Africa.
(in French): When I heard her singing and everything, I thought that she was somebody who really could be a huge star.
It was quite unusual in this crazy music business that somebody would be so grounded and so solidly based.
(in French): (singing in non-English language) (upbeat, funky music playing) (singing in non-English language) (group singing refrain) (speaking French): Right from the beginning, it had always been her type of thing to mix both modern and African and give you something that you can recognize and reminisce on.
She's been doing it way before anybody.
(speaking French): (singing in non-English language) DAVID BYRNE: I had never heard an African musician who had taken the, kind of the African music and, and kind of reworked it in that very, very contemporary way.
Which sounded very, very contemporary, but it still had the African grooves.
DAVID DONATIEN (in French): BLACKWELL: And you felt somebody was coming there who is going to last.
You just felt that.
You felt that there was somebody who you wanted to follow into the future.
(song continues) MAN: In just a moment, we're going to introduce you to a new artist that we think is going to take this country by storm: Angélique Kidjo.
KIDJO: Hey.
- Well, this is the first television you've done in the United States, period, right?
- Yes, yes.
- Well, we're very proud, then.
We're very proud to be the first to have you, to present you to the United States.
- I'm proud to be here, too.
- (laughs): Great song.
I have no idea what you're saying, though.
People get emotional.
It doesn't matter if I sing in French or English.
Just let yourself in the vibe, in the mood.
In Africa, we don't understand anything about Otis Redding or James Brown-- we go for it.
So... - (laughs) - Let's do the same here.
- (laughing): All right, great, I will.
(both laughing) (upbeat song playing) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) KIDJO (speaking French): (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) GABRIEL: Angélique produced wonderful music for many years.
But she's also this sort of burning force of energy.
She pushes her persona out in the world in such a way that makes her a great performer and a great human being.
So I remember, she got me to come to a gig she was doing in New York on a summer stage.
KIDJO: Peter Gabriel!
(all singing, saxophone playing) GABRIEL: She's a remarkable woman.
It's been a real pleasure getting to know her and Jean over all these years.
She's always turned up for things that I've asked of her, and I've tried to do that for her.
Angélique Kidjo!
("In Your Eyes" playing) There's this sense of aliveness that she brings to everything she does.
She brings that force and energy and passion when she's campaigning now, too, in many different causes.
And, uh, um, good luck to anyone, you know, who tries to do something different from what her goal is.
(song continues) ♪ And all my instincts ♪ ♪ They return ♪ ♪ And the grand façade ♪ ♪ Without my pride ♪ ♪ I reach out from the inside ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪ KIDJO (speaking French): (people singing, music playing) KIDJO: (exhales) (in English): ♪ ♪ Give me five.
Yes, yeah!
(speaking French): Inshallah!
(chuckling) (clapping and singing) KIDJO (speaking French): (speaking French): (singing in non-English language) (song continues) Come on!
(song continues, audience starts clapping) Let's stop talking at one point, and put the man in the position where they'll feel, they'll wake up in the morning, they'll go, "Oh.
"My life today is going to change.
"Because the woman that is taking care of me, that everything is going fine in my life, is not here."
Let's do this.
Stop talking.
Action.
(audience cheers and applauds) (speaking French): I do remember dancing to... (singing "Wombo Lombo") ...when I was really, really, really, really young.
(singing in non-English language) Wombo lombo!
I didn't really know what she was saying, 'cause I was really, really young.
But I liked the vibe.
And the video, especially the video.
(song continues) (singing in non-English language) (Alade singing along): ♪ Have you ever seen this man moving?
♪ It's all about the dance.
I just wanted to know her.
Just having that email, like a mentor-mentee conversation.
I wanted that.
And even when I met her in person, I didn't change my mind because it was just perfect.
(speaking French): And so we tried to make it a little, even more African, and even more Nigerian, and still very modern.
So we mixed all of that together to create the song that we have.
(singing in non-English language) ALADE: ♪ Oh, Ma, Ma, Ma ♪ - ♪ Wombo lombo ♪ - ♪ I dey hear the sound of a tambourine o ♪ (song continues) ♪ Talking drums and shekere combination ♪ - ♪ Wombo lombo ♪ - ♪ I see people under the tambourine o ♪ I call her Mama, you know?
'Cause she's literally, like, my musical mommy.
(singing in non-English language) KIDJO (speaking French): (salsa music playing) (horns begin) (singing in Spanish) - ♪ Celia Cruz ♪ - (singing in Spanish) - ♪ Celia Cruz ♪ KIDJO (speaking French): (fast-paced song playing) (singing in Spanish) (song continues) (other instruments stop) (singing in Spanish) DONATIEN (speaking French): (singing in Spanish) KIDJO: David Donatien is right here.
He helped me release this album, Celia Cruz, for me.
I want to thank my husband, Jean, that is sitting down there.
My daughter Naima is here, and please do music for love.
(speaking French): (all speaking French) KIDJO: WOMAN: KIDJO: (chuckling) (crossing signal clicking) NAIMA (speaking French): (knock at door) MAN: Hello, hello.
(Kidjo laughing) Would you please let this, this incredible genius in the building?
If she's not on the list, give her my name.
(Kidjo laughing) MAN: How you doing?
KIDJO (speaking French): (in English): MARCHERS: ♪ I do believe ♪ KIDJO (speaking French): ♪ I was born by the river ♪ ♪ But I know a change gonna come ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, it will ♪ The change will come.
- This is a privilege.
- We have to... - To be in a, to be in a space with, with this woman-- she's phenomenal.
(laughs) In 2017, just after Trump had been elected, we put on the Women's March.
I was one of the co-founders, and it was the largest global protest in history.
And when we were early days putting it together, we, I was reaching out to musicians to help curate the stage.
And I called Angélique and said, "Hey, I have this thing going on.
"We don't have any money.
"It's, you know, we want to create this, you know, "giant movement of women standing up, saying, 'We will be heard.'"
And she said, "I'm there."
CROWD: This is what democracy looks like!
SUSS: She took a song that was rooted in a very specific time period, in the civil rights era in American history, but she brought it into today and opened our eyes to how relevant that song still is today.
- ♪ Back down on my knees ♪ (holds note): ♪ Oh ♪ ♪ There been times that I thought ♪ ♪ I couldn't ask for more ♪ ♪ But now I think I'm able ♪ ♪ To carry on ♪ ♪ It's been a long ♪ ♪ Long time coming ♪ ♪ But I know ♪ ♪ Change is gonna come ♪ ♪ Oh, yes, it will ♪ I know the change is coming, and it's gonna come.
Thank you.
(crowd cheers and applauds) Harry!
- Hey, how are you doing?
How are you, honey?
- I'm doing good.
It's, I'm so happy to see you.
- It's good to see you.
You're doing such wonderful work.
- Well, I'm, I'm following you...
I'm following your daily lead.
WOMAN: Angélique?
BELAFONTE: It's so difficult.
(all laughing) KIDJO: I will do that-- thank you so much.
I will introduce you... (speaking French): (waves lapping) ♪ ♪ (drums pounding) (cries out) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (song continues) (piano playing solo) (audience cheering) KIDJO (speaking French): (singing in non-English language) (singing in non-English language) BYRNE: Angélique covering Remain in Light was a complete surprise.
She was taking it back to the, the source that influenced us when we were making that record, and she brought it back in.
KIDJO (speaking French): (Kidjo's "Born Under Punches" resumes) ♪ Take a look at these hands ♪ (song continues) ♪ Take a look at these hands ♪ ♪ The hand speaks ♪ ♪ The hand of a government man ♪ BYRNE: Back in the day, there was lots of questions that were raised about whether White people, Americans, whether it was acceptable for us to be absorbing these influences.
It still got some criticism.
So for me, Angélique doing this Remain in Light record was, in some ways, a kind of validation.
(speaking French): BYRNE: The call and response between the English-language music that I did and the Yoruba response to it that she used as bridges between the songs, she did it in a way that was completely natural, that felt like, oh, this is really how this music should be done.
(song ending) I want to dedicate this Grammy to all the traditional musician in Africa, in my country, to all the young generation, the new art music, vibrant, joyful music that come from my continent that you have to get yourself to, to discover.
Africa is on the rise.
Africa is positive.
(audience cheers and applauds) Africa is joyful.
Let's get together and be one through music, and say no to hate and violence through music.
Thank you.
(audience cheers and applauds) (speaking French): ♪ Dignity can save you or kill you ♪ ♪ Dignity, I want to hold on to you ♪ (song continues) ♪ Dignity can hurt you or heal you ♪ ♪ Dignity ♪ ♪ I want to hold on to you ♪ ♪ Were you there yesterday ♪ ♪ When the gunman shoot the men down?
♪ ♪ No retreat ♪ ♪ No surrender ♪ ♪ If them push you, don't fall down ♪ ♪ Many come, many go ♪ ♪ We no dey sleep, we dey for road ♪ ♪ We come in peace ♪ ♪ Not in pieces ♪ ♪ Oh, yeah, yeah, oga ♪ ♪ A glimpse of hope in humanity ♪ (speaking French): (singing in non-English language) (Kidjo laughs and claps) She knows it better than I do!
- Yeah!
- You got it.
Give me five.
(laughing) (mellow song playing) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (laughing) (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (song continues) (trumpet playing solo) NAIMA (speaking French): (solo continues) KIDJO (speaking French): (singing in non-English language) (song continues) (song ends) ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Funding for Afropop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the MacArthur Foundation.
