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.
Hope!!:
01 Bando [feat. Pharrell and Quavo]
02 Aye Kan [feat. Ayra Starr]
03. No Stopping Us
04 Fall On Me [feat. PJ Morton]
05 Oyaya [feat. Nile Rodgers and IZA]
06 Superwoman [feat. Dadju]
07 I’m On Fire [feat. The Cavemen]
08 You Can
09 Kakua [feat. Diamond Platnumz]
10 Sunlight To My Soul [feat. Soweto Gospel Choir]
11 For Me [feat. Charlie Wilson]
12 Big Heart
13 Jerusalema
14 Joy feat. Davido
15 Nadi Balance [feat. Fally Ipupa, The Cavemen, Sheila Maurice-Grey]
16 Malaika [feat. Florent Pagny]
Angélique Kidjo:
03-26 Ann Arbor, MI – Hill Auditorium
03-28 Somerville, MA – Somerville Theatre
04-09 North Bethesda, MD – The Music Center at Strathmore
04-11 Princeton, NJ – McCarter Theatre Center
04-25 Stanford, CA – Bing Concert Hall
05-03 La Jolla, CA – The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center
05-06 Cenon, Nouvelle-Aquitaine – Le Rocher de Palmer
05-08 Halle (Saale), Germany – Georg Friedrich Handel Halle
05-12 Paris, France – L’Olympia
05-13 Luxembourg – Luxembourg Philharmonie
05-16 Brighton, England – Brighton Dome
05-24, 2026 Würzburg, Germany – Wurzburg Africa Festival
06-05 Dublin, Ireland – National Concert Hall
06-25 Niort, France – Niort Jazz Festival
07-06 Vienne, France – Jazz a Vienne
