Multiple Grammy Awards winner, Angelique Kidjo, has revealed that she is a Nigerian, who hails from Iseyin, a town in Oyo State.
61-year-old Kidjo, who made this revelation in a recent interview with Smooth FM in Lagos State, who was born in Benin Republic, said her mother made the revelation to her.
She also claimed that she has lots of relatives in Nigeria even though she doesn’t visit them often.
“My Mum told me that I am from Iseyin because when my grandfather’s great great great great father came back from Brazil, they found their roots in Iseyin.
“From my mother’s side, we have always been from Nigeria. So we have families in Abeokuta, Ibadan, Lagos, everywhere, I have cousins I haven’t seen a million years that I miss a lot”, she said.
While speaking about her love for Africa, she said she was not only concerned with singing about the beauty of the continent, but also showing the happiness the people of Africa radiate.
“It’s just that I love to sing. I love to bring Africa to the world. The beauty of Africa, not the music that people are very content about seeing and talking about. Africa is not about that because I grew up in a country that is poor, but people were very happy,” she added.
Kidjo said that she wants the world to see how powerful African women are.
“The women of Africa are the backbone of this continent and they are beautiful. So, I want the world to see that”, Kidjo stated.