Edited by Azizi Powell
This pancocojams post presents information about Benin, West African singer/songwriter Angélique Kidjo.
This post also showcases a video of Angélique Kidjo singing "La Vida Es Un Carnaval". Selected comments from that video's discussion thread are also included in this post.
The content of this post is presented for cultural, entertainment, and aesthetic purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owner/s.
Thanks to Angélique Kidjo for her musical legacy. Thanks to Tony Allen and all others who were associated with this video, and thanks to all those who are quoted in this post. Thanks also to former President Barack Obama for featuring this song in his list of favorite songs from 2019.
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INFORMATION ABOUT ANGELIQUE KIDJO
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ang%C3%A9lique_Kidjo
..."Angélique Kidjo (born July 14, 1960), is a Beninese singer-songwriter, actress, and activist who is noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. In 2007, Time magazine called her "Africa's premier diva".[4]
Her musical influences include the Afropop, Caribbean zouk, Congolese rumba, jazz, gospel, and Latin styles...
Kidjo is fluent in five languages: Fon, French, Yorùbá, Gen (Mina), and English.[6] She sings in all of them, and she also has her own personal language, which includes words that serve as song titles such as "Batonga". "Malaika" is a song sung in the Swahili language. Kidjo often uses Benin's traditional Zilin vocal technique and vocalese.
[...]
Early life
Kidjo was born in Ouidah, Benin.[7] Her father is from the Fon people of Ouidah and her mother from the Yoruba people. She grew up listening to Beninese traditional music, Fela Kuti, Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, James Brown, Manu Dibango, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, Osibisa, and Santana. By the time she was six, Kidjo was performing with her mother's theatre troupe,[8] giving her an early appreciation for traditional music and dance.She started singing in her school band, Les Sphinx, and found success as a teenager with her adaptation of Miriam Makeba's "Les Trois Z", which played on national radio. She recorded the album Pretty with the Cameroonian producer Ekambi Brilliant and her brother Oscar. It featured the songs "Ninive", "Gbe Agossi" and a tribute to the singer Bella Bellow, one of her role models. The success of the album allowed her to tour all over West Africa. Continuing political conflicts in Benin prevented her from being an independent artist in her own country and led her to relocate to Paris in 1983."...
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INFORMATION ABOUT THE SONG "LA VIDA ES UN CARNAVAL"
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Vida_Es_Un_Carnaval
" "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" (... English: "Life Is a Carnival") is a song performed by Cuban recording artist Celia Cruz. The song was written by Victor Daniel, produced by Isidro Infante, arranged by Isidro Infante and released as the lead single from Cruz's studio album Mi Vida Es Cantar (1998). The song won the award for Tropical Song of the Year at the 2003 Lo Nuestro Awards.[1]
It has become one of Cruz's most popular songs, leading to the song being covered by several artists, including salsa singers Victor Manuelle and La India among others."...
-snip-
Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IibNqwndtCE&list=RDIibNqwndtCE&start_radio=1 for a video of Celia Cruz singing "La Vida Es Un Carnaval".
Also, click https://lyricstranslate.com/en/la-vida-es-un-carnaval-life-carnival-celia-cruz-life-carnival.html for the Spanish lyrics to "La Vida Es Un Carnaval" and its English translation.
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Angélique Kidjo - La Vida Es Un Carnaval
Angelique Kidjo, Jun 6, 2019
La Vida Es Un Carnaval - Angelique Kidjo featuring Tony Allen
The video is directed by Chris Saunders
-snip-
Here's a Facebook message from about this video:
https://www.facebook.com/angeliquekidjo/videos/vb.16616192678/463698484437340/?type=2&theater
Angélique Kidjo, June 6, 2019 ·
"My new music video for “La Vida Es Un Carnaval” featuring the legendary Tony Allen is out now! We had so much fun shooting the video in Paris with the fantastic dancers, Cindy Emelie & Ashley Biscette! It is directed by South African Chris Sanders, choreographed by Gabonese Carmel Loanga, and Meshell Ndegeocello performed on the original recording! Thank you to Celia Cruz for the original inspiration!"
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SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
[with numbers added for referencing purposes only)
1. jemstarr, 2019
"Thank you for covering these Celia Cruz songs. You have done an amazing job fusing your African Sound with that of Celia’s Afro Cuban Beats. Your interpretations are very well executed and a joy to listen to. I’ve been a fan since 1992 when I discovered you on BET’s World Video Showcase. I’ve performed Chango, Oremi & Bahia in talent shows over the years and now to have you do Celia Cruz’s music can add to my list of songs. I’m forever a fan & sad I missed you when you recently came to San Antonio,TX. But know that I support your music and glad that I live in a time where music can bring us all together to celebrate life as well as culture."
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2. Roger Moore, 2019
"Muy buena interpretación de la canción de Celia Cruz. Es una canción que lleva un mensaje muy positivo"
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REPLY
3. Kevin Wilson, 2019
"Tú mensaje es bonito! Celia Cruz es reina y la mensaje de Celia Cruz es viviendo en todos generáciones!!"
-snip-
Here's the Google translate results for these two comments from Spanish to English:
Roger Moore:
"Very good interpretation of the song of Celia Cruz. It is a song that carries a very positive message"
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REPLY
Kevin Wilson:
"Your message is beautiful! Celia Cruz is queen and the message of Celia Cruz is living in all generations!"
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4. discobaby795, 2020
"Great rendition to one of the most emblematic songs of the Queen Of Salsa, Mrs. Celia Cruz. This is how an magnificent, honorable and respectful tribute is done. Great job!"
Lucievilin Barbosa
1 week ago
Who is here because of Obama?
20
Ussai Bari
Ussai Bari
1 week ago
Meeee
hugues FONZAN
hugues FONZAN
3 days ago
Me
-snip-
Here are two article excerpts about how former United States President Obama "sent people to this video":
From https://www.stereogum.com/2068626/barack-obama-favorite-music-2019/news/ " arack Obama Shares His Favorite Songs Of 2019" by Chris DeVille @chrisdeville | December 30, 2019 - 12:25 pm
"Near the end of his second presidential term, Barack Obama took on the role of curator, sharing lists of his favorite pop culture. Sometimes that took the form of summer music playlists or workout mixes, but more recently it’s mostly meant wrapping up year-end list season with his own contribution to the critical anointment ritual. The past two days Obama has shared lists of his favorite books and movies (with honorary mentions of TV shows Fleabag, Unbelievable, and Watchmen). And now he’s followed up his 2017 and 2018 song lists with one for 2019.
“From hip-hop to country to The Boss, here are my songs of the year,” Obama writes. “If you’re looking for something to keep you company on a long drive or help you turn up a workout, I hope there’s a track or two in here that does the trick.” The list comprises 35 songs and is sequenced into a playlist."...
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From https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bruce-springsteen-streams-double-obama-top-songs-2019-122825636.html "Bruce Springsteen song streams more than double after making Obama's 'Top Songs of 2019' list" by Zack Guzman, January 7, 2020
"Barack Obama is proving to be quite the musical influencer since his days in the White House.
The former president named 34 songs across a number of musical genres including rap, hip-hop, and salsa tracks to his “Top Songs of 2019” list in the final week of the year, and now new Nielsen data shared exclusively with Yahoo Finance shows every song on his list caught a streaming boost.
Even songs from well-established artists, like rock legend Bruce Springsteen’s “Hello Sunshine,” saw streams on premium and ad-supported platforms more than double after getting named to Obama’s list (The Boss’ track went from an average of 5,700 streams per day to more than 11,500.) Songs from less mainstream singers, like Angélique Kidjo’s cover of “La Vida Es Un Carnaval,” saw even larger boosts, with Kidjo’s track earning a 2700% jump in streams during the 48 hours after making the list."...
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