Angélique Kidjo to Bring Talking Heads Show to Scottsdale

On April 9, Angélique Kidjo will bring her Remain in Light tour to Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, playing songs from her 2018 album that reimagined the 1980 Talking Heads album "Remain in Light."

More than 40 years after that landmark Talking Heads record, Kidjo gave new life to the original with her own "Remain in Light" album while further illustrating the original's majestic roots.

"Talking Heads is one of my favorite all-time bands, and to witness Kidjo's take on 'Remain in Light' will have me dancing on clouds," said Abbey Messmer, programming director at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. "I'm so thankful we were able to reschedule the canceled 2020 date and accommodate her schedule shift with the '64th Annual Grammy Awards.'"

A creative force with a striking voice and stage presence, Kidjo has cross-pollinated the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz.

Time magazine has called Kidjo "Africa's premier diva" while Forbes has ranked her as the first woman in their list of the Most Powerful Celebrities in Africa. The BBC included her in its list of the continent's 50 most iconic figures, and in 2011 The Guardian listed her as one of their Top 100 Most Inspiring Women in the World. She is a recent recipient of the prestigious 2015 Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and the 2016 Amnesty International Ambassador of Conscience Award.

Kidjo's recent albums include "Celia" (2019), a tribute to Cuban singer Celia Cruz that won the 2020 Grammy for Best World Music Album, and "Mother Nature" (2021), featuring collaborations with many young African producers and singers.

Other releases include the Grammy-winning albums "Djin Djin" (2007), "Eve" (2014), and "Angélique Kidjo Sings with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg" (2015). Kidjo has performed with several international orchestras and symphonies. Her collaboration with Philip Glass, "IFÉ: Three Yorùbá Songs," made its U.S. debut to a sold-out concert with the San Francisco Symphony in June 2015.

Kidjo also continues to tour globally, performing the high-energy concert she's become famous for with her four-piece band. Her rousing live show was captured for the revered "Austin City Limits" and made its television debut in January 2016.

"The audience gives me energy, so I have to give it back," Kidjo has said. "If I kept it, I wouldn't be able to sleep for two days."

Kidjo will perform April 9 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. Tickets are $36 - $60. Visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events or call the box office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. A tour rider for this artist requires that all audience members wear face masks for the duration of the performance. For full health and safety protocols, visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/covid-19-response.

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