So, how does it feel to be called "Africa's premier diva"?
There's a brief silence on the other end of the phone.
Then, Angélique Kidjo laughs. "I don't feel like a diva. What should a diva feel like?" said Kidjo of the title bestowed upon her by Time magazine.
The way Kidjo sees it, God has given the Benin-born Afro-pop singer, songwriter and activist a rich, soulful-stirring voice, one that she must share with others. "If you don't pass it on, you're not a real artist," she said.
The Grammy-winning Kidjo will perform Saturday at the Rialto Center for the Arts. Her visit to Atlanta follows two career and personal highlights: as an opener during the kickoff celebration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first time the event has been held on African soil; and performing a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, "The Sound of the Drum," which tells the journey of the drum from Africa to the Caribbean and America though song and dance.
"The sound of the drum has always been something that I'm interested in," said the 50-year-old Kidjo, who lives in New York with her husband and 17-year-old daughter. "I grew up in a drumming culture. When you hear the drum, you have to leave what you're doing and savor the moment. The drums have changed the music of Brazil, the music of Cuba, the music of New Orleans and the music of Haiti."
Like the drum, Kidjo's voice has helped spread African music across continents and nations. She grew up one of 10 children in the west African nation of Benin, where she began performing at a young age. But that wasn't always viewed as a positive thing for women and girls.
As a teenager in Cotonou, she was called a prostitute and an instrument of evil because she was singing. "It's been hard on me," said Kidjo, who always had the support of her parents though. Then she heard South African singer Miriam Makeba and knew women could make it in music.
Kidjo lived in Paris and moved to the United States in the late 1990s. At the time, friends urged her to reconsider. After all, what did Americans know about African music? She came anyway.
"The thing is, I don't generalize like that," she said. "... People like music. People like talent. Talent in this country is appreciated."
Earlier this year, she released her latest CD, "Oyo," which includes tracks with John Legend, U2's Bono and Dianne Reeves. Kidjo said the CD honors her late father. Before he died, her father, who played the banjo and had "a beautiful voice," told her not to put her music on hold for him. Working on the project took a lot out of her, but the result is a "tribute to my dad and all musicians who impacted my life."
What's next? Kidjo stays very active in humanitarian work as a goodwill ambassador with UNICEF and with her nonprofit, the Batonga Foundation, which provides educational aid to young girls in Africa.
On the music front, Kidjo prefers to stretch her voice with new projects and doesn't like being bored. One possibility is working with a classical orchestra and perhaps something on Broadway and a book.
She doesn't tip her hand much. "I'm very African in that regard," she said. "Until things happen, I don't talk about them. There's so much I want to do, big band and jazz. There's so much I can do."
Kidjo likes performing in Atlanta, where fans may see her strolling through Centennial Olympic Park. She said Atlanta's humidity reminds her of home, and she loves listening to people talk.
"People are nice and I like to hear the Southern accents of Georgians," she said. "People's accents are part of their identity and culture." Those differences, she said, are part of the "richness" of humankind.
Event preview
Angélique Kidjo. 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13. $38-$67; student tickets are half price. Rialto Center for the Arts, 80 Forsyth St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-413-9849, www.rialtocenter.org .
