Kidjo received the 2,854th star on the famous boulevard, in the Recording category. The ceremony took place at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard, across from the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Actor Willem Dafoe, four time Oscar nominee and longtime friend of the singer, and Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive of the Recording Academy, spoke in her honor before a crowd that included Beninese actor Djimon Hounsou and Nigerian music star Adekunle Gold. Ana Martinez, producer of the Walk of Fame, paid tribute to an artist whose talent and global influence have shaped generations of audiences across continents.
Visibly moved, Kidjo delivered a heartfelt speech before breaking into song and dancing over her brand new star. She said Africans don’t fully realize what they have given to the world and continue to give it, and that without them, no music would be possible on this planet.
This honor makes Kidjo only the second African born personality to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, after South African actress Charlize Theron, who was honored in 2005. Her selection had been announced back in the summer of 2025, when the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce unveiled the list of honorees for the 2026 class, alongside names like Miley Cyrus, Timothée Chalamet and Shaquille O’Neal.
Born on July 14, 1960 in Ouidah, Benin, Angélique Kidjo moved to Paris in 1983 before building her career in the United States. Over the decades she became one of the leading figures of contemporary African music, blending the musical traditions of her childhood with pop, jazz, funk, rock and world music. Songs such as Agolo, Wombo Lombo, Batonga and We We helped establish her international reputation, as did collaborations with artists including Alicia Keys, Carlos Santana, Burna Boy, Youssou N’Dour and Yo Yo Ma.
A five time Grammy winner and recipient of the 2023 Polar Music Prize, she has sold nearly four million albums worldwide and published a widely praised memoir, Spirit Rising, with a foreword by Desmond Tutu. Her latest album, HOPE!!, released in April 2026 and made up of sixteen tracks, includes a collaboration with Nigerian singer Ayra Starr on Aye Kan (Are You Coming Back). Her international tour recently took her to the Carthage International Festival in Tunisia, where she performed on July 23 as part of the event’s 60th edition.
Beyond the stage, Kidjo has served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002 and remains committed to children’s rights, girls’ education and gender equality. She carries out much of that work through the Batonga Foundation, which she created in 2006 to support the education of young women in Africa.
