Summary
It is entirely fitting that Afro-pop superdiva Angelique Kidjo chose Santa Fe and the Lensic Performing Arts Center to kick off her current 10-show Western swing. Her music comes equipped with the kind of international elan and humanist viewpoint that reigns supreme here. Visually, with her long-boned frame and close-cropped hairdo, she's an androgynous, ebony queen. Perhaps equally attractive is the political activism she espouses. This past winter she shared the Carnegie Hall stage with, among others, Santa Fe favorite David Byrne and one-time leader of the Kinks Ray Davies in a benefit for Tibet House, a nonprofit that advocates and lobbies for the return of Tibet to the Tibetans.
Born in Benin, West Africa, Kidjo's earliest introduction to show business (and a Kidjo concert is an exercise in traditional show- business values) came through exposure to the theatrical company her mother was part of. In her 20s she flirted with the idea of pursuing the legal profession, even going so far as to enroll in a Paris university to study law, but soon returned to singing for her supper. When she hooked up with the Island Records subsidiary, Mango, at the dawn of the 1990s, Kidjo found herself able to eat more richly and extravagantly than she could've imagined. Today she is a major international star with a number of Grammy nominations and bestselling albums under her belt.See the full content of this document
Extract
What Goes Around Comes Back to Anglique
Kidjo is signed to megalabel Sony/Columbia, and her most recent offering for them, Oyaya!, is an ultrasleek and opulent package. Produced by Alberto Salas and Los Lobo...
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