Angélique Kidjo Announces Album With Pharrell, Nile Rodgers, and More

Angélique Kidjo has a new album on the way, Hope!!, and the Beninese singer has shared the first single, “Fall on Me,” featuring PJ Morton. Arriving April 24 on Warner, Hope!! is Kidjo’s follow-up to her 2021 album, Mother Nature. The album features Pharrell Williams, who produced three of the songs in his Paris studio, as well as Nile Rodgers, Ayra Starr, Quavo, The Gap Band’s Charlie Wilson and more. Listen to “Fall on Me” below.

Hope!! is dedicated to Kidjo’s late mother, who Kidjo remembers for her optimism and strength. Hope!! closes with a rendition of the Swahili love song “Malaika,” her mother’s favorite song.

“I started singing when I was six years old, and I’m grateful every day that I still get to live my passion and do what I love with my life,” Kidjo says in a press statement. “At the same time I know that many people struggle to find joy, especially when there’s so much to worry about in our world today. With this album I wanted to put some fire back in people’s hearts, and show how much we need that joy and hope to keep our humanity going.”

Kidjo will celebrate Hope!! with a tour of North America and Europe, opening March 26th in Ann Arbor, Michigan before concluding in Vienne, France in July. Scroll down to see the full itinerary.

Revisit Pitchfork’s review of Mother Nature.