Five-time Grammy winner, Angelique Kidjo, has become the first African musician to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
According to Billboard, Kidjo was honoured at a ceremony on Tuesday on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, United States.
The historic recognition made the Beninese music legend the first Black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
After offering thanks to her team and family, Kidjo erupted into song as those present sat in rapt attention.
“We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world. Without us, there’s no music possible on this planet,” the 66-year-old said.
Harvey Mason Jr. of the Recording Academy hailed Kidjo as a “rare artist.”
“Your example has elevated our global music community, and your work continues to remind us that music is more than entertainment; it’s connection.
“This star is a permanent symbol; it’s not going anywhere, and it’s a symbol of your achievements.
“But your legacy, it lives in the people that you’ve touched, that you’ve inspired, the barriers that you’ve broken, the connections you’ve created all around the world,” he said.
Born in Benin, Kidjo has built an international career spanning more than 40 years and 18 albums.
Among other accolades, she has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
She has also been nominated as one of Africa’s 50 most iconic figures by the BBC, and one of the 100 most inspiring people in the world by The Guardian.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a famous public landmark in Los Angeles, California, featuring more than 2,800 terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in sidewalks to honour major figures in the entertainment industry.
Each star is a permanent, five-pointed pink and charcoal monument embedded in the sidewalk to honour individuals and fictional characters for major achievements in entertainment.
