Beninese music icon Angélique Kidjo has become the first African musician and the first Black African performer to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The five-time Grammy Award winner was honoured on Tuesday, during a ceremony in Los Angeles, where she received the 2,854th star in the Recording category.
The star was unveiled at 7011 Hollywood Boulevard, opposite the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, in a ceremony hosted by Variety correspondent Angelique Jackson. The event featured Academy Award-nominated actor Willem Dafoe and Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. as guest speakers.
The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce also proclaimed 18 August Angélique Kidjo Day in Hollywood before the unveiling.
The recognition makes Kidjo the first musician from the African continent to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the first Black African performer to earn the honour. She joins African-born honourees, including South African actress Charlize Theron, who received her star in 2005.
