Five-time Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo has become the first Black African performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Beninese music icon was honoured on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, during a ceremony in Los Angeles, where she unveiled the 2,854th star in the Recording category.
The star was unveiled at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard, opposite the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in a ceremony hosted by Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson. Actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. were among the speakers.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also proclaimed August 18 as Angélique Kidjo Day in Hollywood ahead of the unveiling.
The recognition makes Kidjo the first musician from the African continent to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the first Black African performer to earn the honour.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a famous public landmark in Los Angeles, California, featuring over 2,800 terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks to honour major figures in the entertainment world.
Speaking at the ceremony, the 66-year-old singer described the honour as a milestone not only for her career but also for African music.
“We Africans don’t know what we’ve given to the world, what we continue giving to the world; without us there’s no music possible [on] this planet,” she said.
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Kidjo expressed hope that the recognition would open doors for other African artists.
“It’s not just my star, it’s our star,” she said, adding that although she may be the first, she would not be the last.
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, and the connections you’ve created all around the world,” he said.
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