Do we like Angélique Kidjo?
Our score: 9 out of 10. Four decades of music, girls' education and human rights work, plus a clear stand against anti-gay hate, and I found nothing nasty.
Angélique Kidjo is a Beninese singer with about four decades in music, five Grammys and 16 albums behind her. She's been an international name for roughly 40 years, and she's never been just the voice: she's been an advocate the whole way.
Her new record, HOPE!!, came out in April 2026 with 15 guest artists. It was made after her mother's death and became part of her grieving, and she kept a promise to her mum to record her own take on the classic Malaika. Kidjo says she's always at the service of the song, which sounds about right.
On the harm check, she comes out well. In a 2014 interview she was angry at people who stir hate in the name of religion, and said “we have had homosexuals for centuries in Africa and nobody talked about it.” That's a rare thing: a major African star putting her name to it at a time when it was risky.
On women and the planet, the record is steady. She campaigns for girls' education through UNICEF and her Batonga Foundation, and Amnesty gave her its 2016 Ambassador of Conscience Award for human rights work, including against female genital mutilation. In accepting it she said she has tried to use her voice to fight injustice and inequality.
The only stoush I found is mild. In January 2026 critics in Benin complained she didn't work with enough Beninese artists. She answered that sharing a nationality isn't a reason to collaborate, and that she has worked with Beninese artists, including Zeynab. Where you land depends on whether you read that as standards or snobbery, but it's a long way from scandal.
I searched for lawsuits, accusations and court cases and found nothing. That's honestly the whole list. There was also no sign of her pushing conspiracy theories, grievance or culture-war grift, and I saw none of the dodgy company that trips up other veterans.