Five-time Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo has become the first African musician to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
According to Billboard, the Beninese music icon was honored at a ceremony on Tuesday along Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California.
The historic recognition makes Kidjo the first Black African to be awarded a star on the famed Hollywood Walk of Fame.
After expressing gratitude to her family and team, the 66-year-old musician celebrated the milestone by breaking into song as guests watched.
“We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world. Without us, there’s no music possible on this planet,” she said.
Harvey Mason Jr., Chief Executive Officer of the Recording Academy, described Kidjo as a “rare artist”, praising her influence on the global music community.
“Your example has elevated our global music community, and your work continues to remind us that music is more than entertainment; it’s connection,” he said.
Mason said the star would serve as a permanent symbol of Kidjo’s achievements, while noting that her greatest legacy remained the people she had inspired, the barriers she had broken and the connections she had created around the world.
Born in Benin, Kidjo has built an international career spanning more than four decades, releasing 18 albums and collaborating with artistes across different genres and continents.
She has received numerous honors throughout her career and was named among Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
She has also been recognized by the BBC as one of Africa’s most iconic figures and named by The Guardian as one of the 100 most inspiring people in the world.
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The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a renowned Los Angeles landmark featuring more than 2,800 terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks to honor notable figures and fictional characters for achievements in the entertainment industry.
Each star is a permanent, five-pointed pink-and-charcoal monument bearing the honouree’s name and symbolizing their contribution to entertainment.
