In a new interview, legendary musician Angelique Kidjo revealed that her ancestors are from Nigeria.
According to her mother, the multiple Grammy Award winner said in a radio interview on Smooth FM in Lagos state that she is originally from Iseyin, a town in Oyo State, Nigeria.
The 61-year-old veteran singer, who was born in Ouidah, Benin Republic, added that she has many relatives in Nigeria, though she doesn’t visit them often.
“My Mum told me that I am from Iseyin, because when my grandfather’s great great great great father came back from Brazil, they found their roots in Iseyin.”
“From my mother’s mother’s side, we have always been from Nigeria, so we have families in Abeokuta. Ibadan, Lagos, everywhere, I have cousins I haven’t seen a million years that I miss a lot.”
Angelique also stated that she has a hectic schedule, which her 29-year-old daughter, Naima, laments. “I have a hectic life; my own daughter just asked me on the phone yesterday, ‘okay, when are you coming back home?’ and I said not before November to… and she said, ‘don’t forget you have a daughter,'” she explained.
On her love for the continent of Africa, she established that she was not only interested in singing about the beauty of the continent, but also in demonstrating the happiness that the people of Africa exude.
“It’s just that I love to sing. I love to bring Africa to the world. The beauty of Africa, not the music that people are very content about seeing and talking about. Africa is not about that because I grow up in a country that is poor but people were very happy.”
Angelique went on to say that she wants the rest of the world to see how powerful African women are. “The women of Africa are the backbone of this continent and they are beautiful. So, I want the world to see that.”
Angelique won her fourth Grammy Award on Sunday, April 3, 2022, defeating Nigerian singers Wizkid, Femi Kuti, Made Kuti; Ghana’s Rocky Dawuni; and Daniel Ho & Friends for Best Global Music Album.
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