Angélique Kidjo First Black African Obtains Hollywood Celebrity Star

Music icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first black African performer to be selected as a star on Hollywood Celebrity Tour.

Kidjo from the West African country of Benin is one of 35 names announced, part of the Hall of Fame’s 2026 list.

The 64-year-old was hailed as Africa’s “Prime Minister’s heroine” at a press conference to announce the list on Wednesday.

Singer Miley Cyrus, actor Timothée Chalamet, actress Demi Moore and former basketball player Shaquille O’Neal were also awarded the famous walking star in Los Angeles.

Kidjo received honors after making music for more than four decades and releasing 16 albums.

The singer has won fans around the world with her conducting voice and ability to blend West African style with Funk, Jazz and R&B.

Her long list of collaborators include troops such as Burna Boy, Philip Glass, Sting and Alicia Keys.

Kidjo joined South African white actress Charlize Theron on a celebrity tour representing Africa, including over 2,700.

Theron received her star in 2005.

The date on which Kidjo sees her star unveiling on Celebrity Journey has not been announced.

After selecting a star for the recipient, they will have two years to schedule their induction ceremony.

Kidjo grew up in Benin but left Paris in 1983, citing oppression from the country’s then-Communist government.

“From the moment the Communist regime arrived in Benin, I realized that the freedom we enjoyed could be taken away in a second.” She told the BBC in 2023.

She said she has been driven by curiosity since she was a child, adding: “My nickname is ‘When, why, how?’. I want to know things, understand where I am in this world.”

Kidjo worked as a support singer in France, and then became a solo artist in 1990 with the album Parakou.

She is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF and Oxfam and has her own charity, Batonga, dedicated to supporting the education of young girls in Africa.