Angelique Kidjo Reveals She's Nigerian from Oyo State

Multiple Grammy Awards winner, Angélique Kidjo, has said she is a Nigerian from Iseyin, a town in Oyo State.

The legendary songstress, born in Benin Republic, made this known in a recent interview with Smooth FM 98.1 FM, in Lagos State.

Kidjo said her mother who worked as a choreographer and theatre director revealed it to her.

The 62-year-old entertainer and activist also claimed she has lots of relatives acorss Nigeria who she had not seen.

She said: “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 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.”

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo known as Angélique Kidjo, is a Beninese-American singer-songwriter, actress, and activist who is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos.

Kidjo was born into a family of performing artists. Her father was a musician, and her mother worked as a choreographer and theatre director. Kidjo has won five Grammy Awards.

Kidjo was born in Ouidah, French Dahomey, in what is now Benin. Her father is from the Fon people of Ouidah and her mother from the Yoruba people in Nigeria.

She grew up listening to Yoruba and Beninese traditional music, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, James Brown, Manu Dibango, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Fela Kuti, Stevie Wonder, Osibisa, 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.

January 05, 2023