Benin Republic superstar and musical icon Angelique Kidjo has won the 2022 Grammy in the Best Global Music Album category. The win is the Beninese singer’s fifth of her career that spans over four decades.
Kidjo’s ‘Mother Nature’ album, which earned her the Grammy, is her first album of original music in seven years. The 61-year old singer was nominated alongside Femi Kuti and son, Made, WizKid, Ghana’s Rocky Dawuni, and Hawaii’s Daniel Ho.
In the wake of the announcement, there were disgruntled moans from fans of favourite WizKid. The popular consensus in the lead up to the award was that WizKid would emerge victorious after such a triumphant year commercially and in terms of cultural impact on the global music ecosystem.
The misguided backlash from WizKid’s fans led to Angelique Kidjo locking the comment section of her social media posts as a result of the harassment she was getting.
Kidjo is no stranger to the limelight. Since going globally mainstream in the 90s, her unique sound is one that is endeared to many hearts and minds in the world. With charisma and fierceness, she stayed true to her origins while retaining the mainstream appeal that has kept her internationally relevant all these years. Her success should not come as a surprise.
That wasn’t all from a very eventful night. In the best Global Music Performance category, Brooklyn-based Pakistani vocalist, Arooj Aftab, emerged the winner after beating Angelique Kidjo, Burna Boy, Femi Kuti, Yo Ma, and Wizkid and Tems.
If you recall, Burna Boy won Best Global Music Album for ‘Twice As Tall’ at the Premiere Ceremony of the 63rd Grammy Awards in 2021. It marked his first career Grammy win in the renamed category, which was previously known as Best World Music Album.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards were held on Sunday night in Las Vegas for the first time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with Trevor Noah as the host.
Here is a full list of the winners:
Best Reggae Album: Soja, Beauty in the Silence
Best Regional Roots Album: Kalani Pe’a, Kau Ka Pe’a
Best Folk Album: Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, They’re Calling Me Home
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, 662
Best Traditional Blues Album: Cedric Burnside, I Be Trying
Best Bluegrass Album: Béla Fleck, My Bluegrass Heart
Best Americana Album: Los Lobos, Native Sons
Best American Roots Song: Jon Batiste, “Cry”
Best American Roots Performance: Jon Batiste, “Cry”
Best Country Song: Chris Stapleton, “Cold”
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Brothers Osborne, “Younger Me”
Best Country Solo Performance: Chris Stapleton, “You Should Probably Leave”
Best Latin Jazz Album: Eliane Elias With Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés, Mirror Mirror
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Christian McBride Big Band, For Jimmy, Wes And Oliver
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette & Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Skyline
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: Chick Corea, “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)”
Best New Age Album: Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej, Divine Tides
Best New Age Album: Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej, Divine Tides
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Vince Mendoza, “To The Edge Of Longing”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Charlie Rosen & Jake Silverman, 8-Bit Big Band’s “Meta Knight’s Revenge.”
Best Instrumental Composition: Lyle Mays, “Eberhard”
Best Musical Theatre Album: The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: The United States Vs. Billie Holiday
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: Carlos Rafael Rivera, The Queen’s Gambit and Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, Soul (tie)
Best Song Written for Visual Media: Bo Burnham, “All Eyes on Me”
Best Immersive Audio Album: Soundtrack Of The American Soldier
Best Global Music Performance: Arooj Aftab, “Mohabbat”
Best Global Music Album: Angelique Kidjo, Mother Nature
