Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo to perform at Arts Centre Melbourne

Five-time Grammy winner Angélique Kidjo, celebrated for her powerful voice and commanding stage presence, will perform music from her new album Mother Nature and selections from her vast back-catalogue at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne on 5 March 2024.

A global performer for four decades, Angélique Kidjo will also perform in Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland and Adelaide, celebrating her 40-year career as part of a new tour by arrangement with Adelaide Festival.

Hailing from the West African nation of Benin and currently residing in New York City and Paris, her music cross-pollinates the West African traditions of her upbringing in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and modal jazz, all while drawing inspiration from Europe and Latin American influences. Kidjo’s performances will celebrate her career-spanning catalogue as one of Africa’s best-known artists.

Supporting Angélique in Melbourne is Maatakitj: a Noongar name meaning ‘long legs like a spear’ and the affectionate stage name of Clint Bracknell, a musician from southern WA and Professor of Music at the University of Western Australia.

Angelique’s most recent album, Mother Nature, boldly addresses two of the most pressing challenges of our time: racial inequity and the climate crisis and skilfully combines the personal political aspects, weaving them into music that is radiantly optimistic.

Her collaborations with artists from Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and the United States draw inspiration from significant historical and current events, including the youth-led movement against Nigeria’s corrupt Special Anti-Robbery Squad, the American Declaration of Independence, Black Lives Matter protests, and Benin’s 60th independence anniversary (coinciding with her birth). The title track, co-written with her husband Jean Hébrail and songwriter Jennifer Decilveo, is an urgent call for everyone to think about Earth’s vital connection to nature.

Angélique’s unstoppable creative force has seen her recognised as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people and The Guardian’s Top 100 Inspiring Women in the world. She is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and was awarded the prestigious 2023 Polar Music Prize. An equally passionate humanitarian as musician, in 2006 she founded Batonga, a foundation dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa. Today, the foundation reaches over 8,000 young women and girls in Benin, and has recently expanded its work to Senegal, where it is positioned to reach another 6,000+ in the coming months.

Angelique Kidjo:

Both Australia and New Zealand hold very fond places in my heart and I can’t wait to come back in 2024, which will also include my first performance in Auckland. It is great to be celebrating 40-years of performing on a continent which was one of the first to embrace my career! You have some of the world’s most beautiful landscapes and warm, welcoming people: thank you for accepting and supporting me every time I visit. The songs and stories of Mother Nature mean so much to me and I look forward to sharing them with you all.

Angélique Kidjo’s other tour dates are: Perth (29 February), Brisbane (4 March), Sydney (6 March), Auckland (9 March) and Adelaide (12 March).

The undisputed queen of African music– London Telegraph

Equal parts boisterous and soulful…Her music transcends mere danceability and instead
possesses you with its rhythm. – NPR

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Season Details

Venue: Hamer Hall
Date: 05 Mar 2024

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