Benin singer, Angelique Kidjo won one of Europe’s top music prizes Tuesday along with Britain’s Chris Blackwell, founder of Island Records, and Estonian composer Arvo Part.
The five-times Grammy winner, described by the organisers of Sweden’s Polar Music Prize as “one of the greatest singer-songwriters in international music”, sings her in native Fon and Yoruba languages as well as in French and English.
Dubbed “Africa’s premier diva” by Time magazine, Angelique Kidjo is best known for her hits “Agolo” and “We We”.
The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by former ABBA manager Stig Anderson and last year honoured Iggy Pop and US songwriter Diane Warren. The laureates will receive their 600,000 kroner ($58,000) prize at a ceremony in Stockholm on May 23.