This Is History! Angélique Kidjo Becomes First African Musician With a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star

The Hollywood Boulevard just gained a massive piece of global music history. Legendary Beninese singer, songwriter, and activist Angélique Kidjo has officially been honoured with a star on the world-renowned Hollywood Walk of Fame. Unveiled during an induction ceremony at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, Kidjo received the 2,854th star on the landmark, situated right in the prestigious Recording category.

This milestone holds profound cultural weight. While the Walk of Fame has commemorated global icons for over six decades, Angélique Kidjo makes history as the very first African musician and the first Black African artist to ever receive a star. Across all entertainment disciplines, she is only the second African-born entertainer to be immortalised on the boulevard, following South African actress Charlize Theron. To mark the occasion, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce officially proclaimed 18 August as “Angélique Kidjo Day” in Hollywood.

Angélique Kidjo’s newly installed star plaque on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Recording category. Photo Credit: Hollywood Walk of Fame/Instagram

For anyone familiar with her four-decade journey, this recognition feels like a long-overdue celebration of a woman who built the modern global path for African music. Born in Ouidah, Benin, Kidjo grew up immersed in the rhythms of West Africa before relocating to Paris in the 1980s. Over the years, her sprawling discography—spanning nineteen studio albums—has bridged traditional Fon, Yoruba, and West African sounds with jazz, funk, R&B, and pop. Along the way, she has secured five Grammy Awards, a Polar Music Prize, and a spot on TIME Magazine’s…