Angélique Kidjo Becomes First African Musician To Receive Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star

On August 18, Angélique Kidjo received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the first African musician and first Black African honored with the distinction. The ceremony celebrated a career spanning four decades and brought several notable figures to Los Angeles, including Willem Dafoe and fellow Benin native Djimon Hounsou. Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold also attended, while Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. helped honor Kidjo’s contributions to music.

Born in Benin, Kidjo left the country for Paris in 1983 amid political repression. Her music would eventually reach audiences worldwide, drawing from the sounds of her West African upbringing while incorporating elements of funk and jazz. She has released 18 albums and earned 17 Grammy nominations, winning five times.

Kidjo’s résumé stretches far and wide, as she performed during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics and received the Polar Music Prize in 2023. TIME included her on its annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people in 2021. She has also served as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and Oxfam, while her Batonga Foundation works with girls and young women in Benin.

Beninese musician and actress Angelique Kidjo (C) poses with Beninese-US actor Djimon Hounsou (2R) and other attendees during her Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles on August 18, 2026. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images)

Collaboration has remained a major part of the Beninese singer’s career. Alicia Keys and Burna Boy are among the artists she has recorded with, while her latest album, HOPE!!, brings her together with a new generation of performers. Released earlier this year, the project includes contributions from Pharrell Williams, Ayra Starr and Quavo, among others.

Her Hollywood recognition adds another distinction to a career built on bringing African music to international stages. Kidjo now joins the thousands of entertainers whose names line the Walk of Fame, while opening a new chapter in its representation of African artists.

“We Africans just don’t know what we’ve given to the world, and what we continue giving to the world for the music to exist,” Kidjo said during the induction ceremony. “Without us, there’s no music possible on this planet.”