Angélique Kidjo Receive a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as First African

On August 18, 2026, Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo made history as the first African musician and the first Black African artist to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in a ceremony held at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. She received the 2,854th star on the famous boulevard, awarded in the Recording category.

The ceremony was hosted by Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson and attended by Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., alongside Academy Award-nominated Benin-born actor Djimon Hounsou and Nigerian music star Adekunle Gold. Ron Frierson, President and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, proclaimed August 18 as Angélique Kidjo Day in Hollywood.

Angélique Kidjo is a five-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, actress, and activist from Benin who has spent more than four decades bridging the sounds of her native Benin with funk, jazz, and pop, and building one of the most globally recognised catalogues in African music. She has sung at the United Nations General Assembly, was named spokesperson for the AFAWA initiative at the G7 Summit in 2019, and performed at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. She was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world and has been nominated as one of Africa’s 50 most iconic figures by the BBC. Her latest album, her 19th studio record, HOPE!!, was released in April 2026.

Dafoe, a friend of Kidjo’s since 2002, stated at the ceremony, “The first time I saw Angélique perform live, I thought her music, her dancing, her commitment were incredible. She is, without a doubt, the hardest-working woman in show business.”

He also praised her humanitarian work through the Batonga Foundation, which empowers girls and young women in Africa: “This is not a token celebrity involvement; it is an extension of what she does with her music. She stirs us, lifts us up, and reminds us that we’re all connected, and that love and understanding are the way.”

When asked about carrying the legacy for African women artists, Angélique stated, “What I love about it is that they are themselves. Without us, there’s no music possible.”