Angélique Kidjo Hollywood Walk Of Fame: Singer Makes History As First African Honoree
Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo has made history as the first Black African performer and first African musician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, cementing a legacy built over more than four decades in the global music industry.
On August 18, Angélique Kidjo received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first African musician and first Black African honored with the distinction. The five-time GRAMMY-winning musician was honored with the 2,854th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 11:30 am PT at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard, across the street from the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, receiving her star in the category of Recording.
Variety’s Angelique Jackson hosted the ceremony, which took place on a breezy California afternoon and drew a list of A-list creatives, including four-time Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who gathered to celebrate Kidjo, 64, and her impressive four-decade career. The ceremony celebrated a career spanning four decades and brought several notable figures to Los Angeles, including Willem Dafoe and fellow Benin native Djimon Hounsou. Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold also attended. Just before revealing the star, Ron Frierson, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, proclaimed Aug. 18 as Angélique Kidjo Day in Hollywood.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kidjo reflected on the global influence of African music, saying, “We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world,” before adding that without African contributions, “there’s no music possible on this planet.” Harvey Mason Jr. told the crowd that her star “is a permanent symbol; it’s not going anywhere, and it’s a symbol of your achievements.” Dafoe also paid tribute to her stage presence and humanitarian work, praising her commitment beyond music.
Born in Benin, Kidjo left the country for Paris in 1983 amid political repression. Her music would eventually reach audiences worldwide, drawing from the sounds of her West African upbringing while incorporating elements of funk and jazz. Over the course of her career, she has amassed five Grammy Awards, won the prestigious Polar Music Prize, performed at the opening ceremony of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and sent multiple titles to the top of the World Albums chart. In 2021, TIME magazine named her among its 100 most influential people in the world, and in 2022 she performed the 1,000th NPR Tiny Desk concert.
Collaboration has remained a major part of the Beninese singer’s career, with Alicia Keys and Burna Boy among the artists she has recorded with, while her latest album, HOPE!!, released earlier this year, brings her together with a new generation of performers, including contributions from Pharrell Williams, Ayra Starr and Quavo.
Beyond her music, Kidjo is a longtime activist and serves as a UNICEF and Oxfam ambassador. She also runs the Batonga Foundation, which works to support girls’ education and empowerment across Africa, an effort Dafoe specifically highlighted at the ceremony as an authentic extension of her artistic mission rather than symbolic involvement.
The honour was celebrated widely across Africa, with Benin’s President Romuald Wadagni marking the achievement in a public statement recognising Kidjo as the first African to receive the distinction. Kidjo now joins a small number of African-born stars honoured on the Walk of Fame, adding her name alongside the likes of Charlize Theron, and opening what many in the industry see as a new chapter in the Walk’s recognition of African artists at a moment when the continent’s music continues to reach unprecedented global audiences.
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