Angelique Kidjo plays The Chan Centre in Vancouver on Saturday, Oct 13. Nabil Elderkin photo

Concert preview – Angelique Kidjo The Chan Centre in Vancouver on Saturday, Oct 13

African music diva and international humanitarian Angelique Kidjo comes to The Chan Centre in Vancouver on Saturday, Oct 13 for one of six performances in North America to promote her new album, Spirit Rising.

With accolades that would take longer to list than the duration of one of her songs, Kidjo is one of the leading voices in World Music. She combines Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel and Latin within her repertoire, which features hit songs such as “Agolo”, “We We”, “Adourna”, “Wombo Lombo”, “Afrika”, “Batongo”, and “Malaika”. She won a Grammy for Best Contemporary World Music for her 2007
album Djin Djin.

Mainstream stars such as Santana, Alicia Keys, Josh Groban, Peter Gabriel and Bono have all collaborated with her on live performances and some of her 12 albums.

It’s been quite the music career for a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador named one of the 100 Most Inspiring Women In The World by the Guardian and one of the BBC’s Top 50 African Icons.

Tickets to Angelique Kidjo at the Chan Centre range from $36 to $72 (student and senior discounts available), and are available at ticketmaster.ca or chancentre.com

Music video – Angelique Kidjo with Alicia Keys  for Mandela Day 2009: