Beninese singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists in international music with thirteen albums and three Grammy Awards to her name. Born in 1960 to a mother of the Yoruba people and a father of the Fon people, she grew up listening to Beninese traditional music as well as the popular Afrobeat, Soweto Blues, Caribbean Fusion, and American Rock artists of the day. By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother’s theatre troupe, giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance. Her professional career began in the late 1970’s when her cover of Miriam Makeba’s “Les Trois Z” found success on national radio. This led to the release of her debut album Pretty in 1981. Kidjo speaks and sings fluently in five Fon, French, Yorùbá, Gen (Mina), and English.