‘Africa’s premier diva’ Angelique Kidjo brings her international blend of music to Portland

Five-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo will play Portland Nov. 13. Photo by Michael Tubes

Angelique Kidjo has embraced the moniker “Africa’s premier diva,” bestowed up on her a few years ago by a journalist.

But she defines the term diva a little differently than some people would.

“I was doing something at a museum in Paris, and this journalist saw me interacting with all these people, hugging and talking to them, taking pictures with them, and he said to me, ‘You really are Africa’s premier diva,’ ” Kidjo said in a phone interview. “But I’m somebody who grew up knowing the value of hard work, who was taught that kindness is bulletproof. To me, being a diva means being available to people all over Africa and all over the world.”

She also fits one of the dictionary descriptions of a diva, which is simply “a famous female singer.” After 40 years of performing and recording all over the world and winning five Grammy awards, she’s certainly that. On Nov. 13, she’ll be accessible to people in Maine when she performs at the State Theatre in Portland. The show is presented by Portland Ovations.

Kidjo, 64, hasn’t played Maine in about 20 years, as best as she can remember. She says that as touring has become more expensive, she finds herself flying in to specific concert spots in big cities, instead of taking a tour bus to a region and then doing lots of shows in that area.

Angelique Kidjo will play the State Theatre in Portland on Nov. 13. Photo by Michael Tubes

Growing up in Benin, on the coast of West Africa, she spent a lot of time in the fishing village where many of her relatives lived and worked. So coming to Portland, she says, will feel a little nostalgic and comfortable.

“When you live by the sea and the wind, you have to learn to be flexible, and you can take nothing for granted,” said Kidjo. “And the sea gives us stuff. When I’m there (in Portland), I want to eat as much seafood as I can.”

In Portland, Kidjo plans to perform songs during a 75-minute show from three of her albums: “Mother Nature” (2021), “Celia” (2019) and “Remain in Light” (2018). The three albums give listeners a good idea of the incredibly diverse influences and sounds Kidjo blends into her music.

“Remain in Light” was a track-for-track re-interpretation of the Talking Heads’ 1980 album of the same name, one of the most influential and innovative rock records of the 1980s. “Celia” was a tribute to Cuban singer Celia Cruz, and “Mother Nature” featured collaborations with African producers and singers.

Kidjo says her musical diversity started with her parents and what they exposed her to growing up in Benin, a former French colony. Her father was a musician – he played banjo – and her mother worked as a theater director and ballet choreographer. So she was exposed to traditional African music as well as dance performances and American pop songs on the radio.

She says she’s been exposed to so many different styles that often a song will pop into her head and she won’t know where she first heard it.

“Sometimes I’ll start singing and wonder where that song came from. I was just singing (the Bill Monroe bluegrass tune) ‘Blue Moon of Kentucky,’ and I thought, ‘Where did I hear that?’ ” Kidjo said.

Kidjo has used her fame over the years to advocate for various causes, like poverty and hunger, and worked with international groups like Oxfam and Unicef to help children in need around the world. She created her own charitable foundation to help support the education of young girls in Africa.

Kidjo, an American citizen, has a home in Brooklyn, New York, but says she’s rarely there and that her home is “wherever my music takes me.”

“Being on stage has always been why I do this. If there’s no stage, there’s no need for me to be doing this,” said Kidjo. “It keeps me humble. When you have something, some talent, that can bring people from all walks of life out to see you, that’s humbling.”

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