1 00:00:15,436 --> 00:00:28,516 Speaker 1: Pushkin. According to Time magazine, singer an Joli Quijo is 2 00:00:28,556 --> 00:00:33,156 Speaker 1: Africa's premiere diva. In addition to racking up prestigious accolades 3 00:00:33,156 --> 00:00:36,796 Speaker 1: throughout her forty year career, Angelique has always leveraged her 4 00:00:36,796 --> 00:00:39,876 Speaker 1: success to protect and educate young girls living in sub 5 00:00:39,916 --> 00:00:57,676 Speaker 1: Saharan Africa. An Jolie Kuijo started out singing traditional music 6 00:00:57,716 --> 00:01:01,036 Speaker 1: as a teenager in her native Benin, West Africa. In 7 00:01:01,156 --> 00:01:04,916 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three, she escapes the conflict riddled Benin for Paris, 8 00:01:05,276 --> 00:01:08,556 Speaker 1: where she studied music and eventually married a French music producer. 9 00:01:09,116 --> 00:01:12,796 Speaker 1: Angelique became one of Paris's most popular live performers, and 10 00:01:12,836 --> 00:01:15,836 Speaker 1: in nineteen ninety one she signed her first record deal 11 00:01:15,956 --> 00:01:21,076 Speaker 1: with Island Records. Angelika since released sixteen alums and won 12 00:01:21,196 --> 00:01:25,756 Speaker 1: four World Music Grammys. Her latest album, Mother Nature, was 13 00:01:25,796 --> 00:01:29,596 Speaker 1: released in June and features young African musicians like Sampa 14 00:01:29,676 --> 00:01:33,996 Speaker 1: the Great and Burna Boy. On today's episode, Bruce Headlam 15 00:01:34,036 --> 00:01:36,996 Speaker 1: talks to Angeli Quijo about the nature of African rhythm 16 00:01:37,276 --> 00:01:40,956 Speaker 1: and why I can confuse Western musicians. She also explains 17 00:01:40,956 --> 00:01:43,596 Speaker 1: how she lets her songs dictate what language her lyrics 18 00:01:43,636 --> 00:01:46,276 Speaker 1: should be and how she managed to escape her home 19 00:01:46,316 --> 00:01:54,156 Speaker 1: country despite being a recognizable national pop star. This is 20 00:01:54,196 --> 00:01:57,956 Speaker 1: broken record liner notes for the digital age. I'm justin Richmondtin. 21 00:02:02,876 --> 00:02:06,956 Speaker 1: Here's Bruce Headlam with Angeli Quijo. It is so nice 22 00:02:06,956 --> 00:02:09,356 Speaker 1: to have you here. Do I need my headphone? No, 23 00:02:09,596 --> 00:02:12,796 Speaker 1: I don't think so. You don't like headphones. I hate studios. 24 00:02:12,956 --> 00:02:15,796 Speaker 1: I only like stage. You don't like studios. I mean 25 00:02:15,956 --> 00:02:18,676 Speaker 1: I come from a culture where you want to play, 26 00:02:18,796 --> 00:02:21,876 Speaker 1: just get drums out, and you have phoney people coming around. 27 00:02:21,956 --> 00:02:23,916 Speaker 1: I start on stage when I was six years old. 28 00:02:24,156 --> 00:02:26,996 Speaker 1: I was twenty when I first step step be food 29 00:02:27,036 --> 00:02:28,956 Speaker 1: in the studio and I hated it. I was doing 30 00:02:28,956 --> 00:02:31,076 Speaker 1: my first album and I have to record from ten 31 00:02:31,116 --> 00:02:34,036 Speaker 1: am in the morning to eight pm doing all the songs. 32 00:02:34,076 --> 00:02:36,556 Speaker 1: The producer was not there. I was just left alone 33 00:02:36,596 --> 00:02:41,476 Speaker 1: with the sound engineer doing the backing and everything. Getting 34 00:02:41,516 --> 00:02:43,116 Speaker 1: there and I get out there's no son. I'm like, 35 00:02:43,156 --> 00:02:45,476 Speaker 1: what kind of world is that? I'm not a cave woman. 36 00:02:45,676 --> 00:02:47,476 Speaker 1: I want to be out. I don't want to be 37 00:02:47,516 --> 00:02:49,756 Speaker 1: singing to the wall. I want to sing to somebody 38 00:02:49,996 --> 00:02:53,076 Speaker 1: that You've done fifteen albums at least since then. Yeah, 39 00:02:53,196 --> 00:02:56,316 Speaker 1: do you try and record in different kinds of studios 40 00:02:56,396 --> 00:02:58,916 Speaker 1: or you. Oh yeah, I tried recording spaces that aren't 41 00:02:58,956 --> 00:03:01,756 Speaker 1: studio like the thing is. In two thousand, I decided 42 00:03:01,836 --> 00:03:05,436 Speaker 1: it was enough of going to the studio and prepare editing. 43 00:03:05,476 --> 00:03:07,676 Speaker 1: I want everybody in the same room. So when I 44 00:03:07,676 --> 00:03:11,676 Speaker 1: have the musician with me, it is great and I 45 00:03:11,796 --> 00:03:14,396 Speaker 1: like that now. When I did my album Ginging with 46 00:03:14,956 --> 00:03:17,636 Speaker 1: Tony Viscountry, He's like, I haven't done this kind of 47 00:03:17,636 --> 00:03:20,596 Speaker 1: album since the sixties. When you opened my voice, the 48 00:03:20,756 --> 00:03:23,036 Speaker 1: drums and everybody, I said, that's if you want me 49 00:03:23,116 --> 00:03:26,876 Speaker 1: to perform the album, you better get me the studio 50 00:03:26,956 --> 00:03:30,036 Speaker 1: where I feel like all in my living room or 51 00:03:30,076 --> 00:03:32,516 Speaker 1: out or something. I just can't do it like that. 52 00:03:32,596 --> 00:03:35,556 Speaker 1: So we went to Electric Lady and he brought in lamp. 53 00:03:35,636 --> 00:03:38,796 Speaker 1: It was like a souk in Marrakesh and the musician 54 00:03:38,836 --> 00:03:43,316 Speaker 1: with all their people, benin his percussion players, Pugibell on 55 00:03:43,436 --> 00:03:47,756 Speaker 1: drums and Fiddler on keyboard. It was like one of 56 00:03:47,756 --> 00:03:51,476 Speaker 1: my best memorial studio. We had lots of fun to school. 57 00:03:51,596 --> 00:03:54,196 Speaker 1: The album finished, I'm like, is it over? Yeah, it's over. 58 00:03:54,356 --> 00:03:56,516 Speaker 1: Two weeks. I didn't see he passed by, so I 59 00:03:56,556 --> 00:03:59,956 Speaker 1: loved it. And you know he'd produced David Bowie, he'd 60 00:03:59,956 --> 00:04:02,436 Speaker 1: produced everybody. Yeah, never done it like that. He never 61 00:04:02,476 --> 00:04:04,236 Speaker 1: just had all the musicians, he said, I didn't do 62 00:04:04,276 --> 00:04:07,876 Speaker 1: it since the sixties. Yes, And I said, well, are 63 00:04:07,876 --> 00:04:10,036 Speaker 1: you gonna follow me in that one? Because I was 64 00:04:10,076 --> 00:04:13,516 Speaker 1: bringing the traditional percussional player from being in and we 65 00:04:13,636 --> 00:04:16,476 Speaker 1: have to rehearse before in his life. Are you sure 66 00:04:16,516 --> 00:04:19,076 Speaker 1: we need all this? He was a little nervous. He 67 00:04:19,116 --> 00:04:22,436 Speaker 1: looked completely worried, as aid, Tony, Chill, it's gonna be 68 00:04:22,476 --> 00:04:25,996 Speaker 1: all right, and he go okay, and he's not the calabash. 69 00:04:26,036 --> 00:04:28,396 Speaker 1: I was explaining to him that we have a rhythm 70 00:04:28,796 --> 00:04:31,796 Speaker 1: that we play with calabash in the water in the buckets, 71 00:04:32,276 --> 00:04:35,196 Speaker 1: and when he heard the sound, this smight just lead 72 00:04:35,276 --> 00:04:39,116 Speaker 1: up his face. I'm like, you're seeing possibilities and he goes, 73 00:04:39,396 --> 00:04:42,196 Speaker 1: oh yeah. I said, where till we get to the studio, man, 74 00:04:42,396 --> 00:04:45,916 Speaker 1: let them play the folded carbell for you. There's folded carver, 75 00:04:46,196 --> 00:04:48,836 Speaker 1: I say, they have tons of different kind of carbell. 76 00:04:49,356 --> 00:04:52,036 Speaker 1: So we're gonna make it easy for you. Just play 77 00:04:52,076 --> 00:04:55,276 Speaker 1: the music and you do your arrangement, you do your producing. 78 00:04:55,356 --> 00:04:57,876 Speaker 1: And that wasn't so you said there's a particular rhythm 79 00:04:57,876 --> 00:05:00,956 Speaker 1: that's played on that cowbell. Can you explain what that 80 00:05:01,076 --> 00:05:03,716 Speaker 1: rhythm is? The fact that the carbell is folded like 81 00:05:03,756 --> 00:05:07,036 Speaker 1: a paper, so the rhythm goes both ways. And sometimes 82 00:05:07,196 --> 00:05:09,956 Speaker 1: they put it on the head to played. Sometimes they 83 00:05:09,996 --> 00:05:12,316 Speaker 1: put in the hand, but they can't keep their hand flat. 84 00:05:12,356 --> 00:05:16,316 Speaker 1: They need the resonance. And it has distinctive sound, very clear, 85 00:05:16,876 --> 00:05:25,836 Speaker 1: not too high. It has body and take getting and 86 00:05:26,316 --> 00:05:27,996 Speaker 1: he has like I never heard a sound of carbe 87 00:05:28,116 --> 00:05:30,636 Speaker 1: like this, But I'm like, hey that terms of them 88 00:05:30,716 --> 00:05:33,916 Speaker 1: vers you have sainphonies of carbell in the village is 89 00:05:33,916 --> 00:05:37,396 Speaker 1: where you have from the smallest one to the biggest one. 90 00:05:38,236 --> 00:05:41,436 Speaker 1: It's huge and it's played on the ground and it's 91 00:05:41,436 --> 00:05:43,676 Speaker 1: a wall of sound that you just get into the village. 92 00:05:43,756 --> 00:05:46,916 Speaker 1: Stop playing, you go WHOA Okay? Why are there so 93 00:05:46,956 --> 00:05:50,756 Speaker 1: many cowpels. Every village have their own rhythm. That's the 94 00:05:50,796 --> 00:05:55,196 Speaker 1: complexity of my country, almost twelve million people. When you 95 00:05:55,236 --> 00:05:57,756 Speaker 1: go from one village to the other, the rhythm is 96 00:05:57,796 --> 00:06:00,316 Speaker 1: completely different, The drums are completely different. And there is 97 00:06:00,316 --> 00:06:02,156 Speaker 1: a village in the southern part of Being where I 98 00:06:02,236 --> 00:06:05,236 Speaker 1: come from, called a Jah, where from father to son 99 00:06:05,956 --> 00:06:08,156 Speaker 1: they are taught how to make the drum. You pick 100 00:06:08,236 --> 00:06:10,396 Speaker 1: the tree and in the back of tree and they 101 00:06:10,436 --> 00:06:12,396 Speaker 1: do the drum you want for you. First of all, 102 00:06:12,436 --> 00:06:15,756 Speaker 1: you said, you know, every town has their own rhythm, 103 00:06:15,836 --> 00:06:19,196 Speaker 1: their own sense of music. What was and your town 104 00:06:19,396 --> 00:06:23,276 Speaker 1: was got I grew up in the economic capital of Beling. 105 00:06:23,516 --> 00:06:26,636 Speaker 1: What was your town's music? My town with music was 106 00:06:26,636 --> 00:06:30,316 Speaker 1: a cosmopolitan music town, because that's where you have all 107 00:06:30,396 --> 00:06:35,436 Speaker 1: the band, the Belines band, Polyrithmo or elrego Na Spedule, 108 00:06:35,636 --> 00:06:38,276 Speaker 1: all of those guys. But the thing that is interesting 109 00:06:38,356 --> 00:06:41,356 Speaker 1: for when it comes to rhythm is that you grow 110 00:06:41,436 --> 00:06:45,996 Speaker 1: up in it. Everywhere you go there's rhythm. Not one 111 00:06:46,036 --> 00:06:48,876 Speaker 1: person in Africa will tell you I don't know how 112 00:06:48,916 --> 00:06:51,156 Speaker 1: to dance unless they don't want to dance, because they 113 00:06:51,236 --> 00:06:53,636 Speaker 1: know how to put the time on. Our body was 114 00:06:53,676 --> 00:06:56,676 Speaker 1: an instrument too. The men are a naked from the 115 00:06:56,756 --> 00:06:59,516 Speaker 1: shoulder from the head to the waist, and they have 116 00:06:59,596 --> 00:07:03,636 Speaker 1: buckets of water so they play. It depends, it depends 117 00:07:03,676 --> 00:07:05,476 Speaker 1: if they want difference sown. They put the water on 118 00:07:05,516 --> 00:07:08,716 Speaker 1: themselves and they play. Is an amazing rhythm is called 119 00:07:08,716 --> 00:07:11,396 Speaker 1: a chown. And the way they just go and doing 120 00:07:11,396 --> 00:07:14,476 Speaker 1: the singing at the same time, you just you mesme, 121 00:07:14,796 --> 00:07:16,756 Speaker 1: can you just clap out? What that rhythm would be? 122 00:07:16,796 --> 00:07:28,356 Speaker 1: Like the corbell is doing this to bo bo boom boo. 123 00:07:28,516 --> 00:07:31,596 Speaker 1: All the bodies just play and then you go. And 124 00:07:31,596 --> 00:07:34,196 Speaker 1: when it is that they start spitting is because somebody's 125 00:07:34,236 --> 00:07:37,996 Speaker 1: dancing the word. One thing that is really interesting in 126 00:07:38,076 --> 00:07:41,196 Speaker 1: the traditional music in my country, and I think pretty 127 00:07:41,276 --> 00:07:45,436 Speaker 1: much everywhere in Africa you're playing, the rhythm you dancing 128 00:07:45,636 --> 00:07:49,516 Speaker 1: is always in a circle or semi circle. So you 129 00:07:49,636 --> 00:07:53,396 Speaker 1: have somebody start the song, the people start answering, the 130 00:07:53,476 --> 00:07:56,596 Speaker 1: carbir comes in, and the drum comes in and the 131 00:07:56,756 --> 00:08:00,276 Speaker 1: rhythm is set. Then when the dancer comes into circle, 132 00:08:01,076 --> 00:08:04,676 Speaker 1: then the drums start looking at the foot of the dancers. 133 00:08:04,716 --> 00:08:07,236 Speaker 1: The dancer that dictates if the rhythm is gonna be 134 00:08:07,316 --> 00:08:10,636 Speaker 1: faster or slower. You tell a very funny story in 135 00:08:10,636 --> 00:08:13,996 Speaker 1: your autobiography, and this is years later after he met 136 00:08:14,076 --> 00:08:18,196 Speaker 1: your husband. You would be singing traditional songs and talking 137 00:08:18,196 --> 00:08:20,676 Speaker 1: about rhythm and he just kept saying, just tell me 138 00:08:20,716 --> 00:08:23,316 Speaker 1: where the downbeat is and you're like, yeah, it doesn't 139 00:08:23,316 --> 00:08:28,836 Speaker 1: work that way. How did you guys ever figure that out? 140 00:08:29,036 --> 00:08:34,316 Speaker 1: I mean, the thing is till he arrived and start 141 00:08:34,436 --> 00:08:38,916 Speaker 1: digging deep in the traditional music. He had hard time 142 00:08:40,156 --> 00:08:42,996 Speaker 1: because he's come from a cultural one two three four 143 00:08:43,076 --> 00:08:46,116 Speaker 1: one two three four, you count the time, all right, 144 00:08:46,596 --> 00:08:52,236 Speaker 1: And then finally he goes, actually is a cycle. It's 145 00:08:52,276 --> 00:08:54,636 Speaker 1: always a cycle. It's going on around and around. That's 146 00:08:54,676 --> 00:08:57,676 Speaker 1: what creates a trends. And it's a language also that 147 00:08:57,756 --> 00:09:01,356 Speaker 1: you have to learn. Because he witnessed that. So the 148 00:09:01,436 --> 00:09:04,436 Speaker 1: person that is playing the carbell, he wants to go 149 00:09:04,476 --> 00:09:07,356 Speaker 1: to the restroom. Somebody picked up the carbell exactly where 150 00:09:07,356 --> 00:09:10,236 Speaker 1: he stopped and it goes. He continued, we are fed 151 00:09:10,276 --> 00:09:14,716 Speaker 1: with that, we're living that, it's in our breathing is 152 00:09:14,796 --> 00:09:19,836 Speaker 1: everything because music is an essential part for being and 153 00:09:19,876 --> 00:09:22,996 Speaker 1: he has to understand it. That's a different mindset from 154 00:09:22,996 --> 00:09:26,276 Speaker 1: the Western world and us in Africa. It's all about 155 00:09:26,356 --> 00:09:29,676 Speaker 1: the instinct. It's all about how we feel from the 156 00:09:29,716 --> 00:09:31,636 Speaker 1: bottom of our feet all the way to the head. 157 00:09:31,916 --> 00:09:34,236 Speaker 1: And my husband when I used to explain all that 158 00:09:34,356 --> 00:09:37,236 Speaker 1: to him, that we are not a tradition of recording. 159 00:09:38,076 --> 00:09:41,756 Speaker 1: And when we were traveling and recording rhythm, I said, 160 00:09:41,876 --> 00:09:44,516 Speaker 1: one day you're gonna get the question. Is that now 161 00:09:44,676 --> 00:09:47,396 Speaker 1: everybody's used to recording? I said, nope. So when the 162 00:09:47,556 --> 00:09:50,596 Speaker 1: guy came. The guy was standing up looking at us like, 163 00:09:50,916 --> 00:09:54,036 Speaker 1: these white people are crazy, man, what is all this thing? 164 00:09:54,556 --> 00:09:56,476 Speaker 1: And we didn't have electricity most of the time. We 165 00:09:56,596 --> 00:10:00,916 Speaker 1: plug the instruments on the car battery. It's crazy, right. 166 00:10:01,476 --> 00:10:04,676 Speaker 1: So the guy came in and and tap the shoulder 167 00:10:04,676 --> 00:10:08,316 Speaker 1: of my husband and said, what are you doing? What 168 00:10:08,476 --> 00:10:11,156 Speaker 1: is the green? What is the red light? I saw 169 00:10:11,276 --> 00:10:14,556 Speaker 1: sometimes you put in green, sometime it's red. And John said, 170 00:10:14,556 --> 00:10:16,596 Speaker 1: when it's red, it's means to be a recording. And 171 00:10:16,636 --> 00:10:19,196 Speaker 1: when he's green with listening, and he's stayed back and 172 00:10:19,276 --> 00:10:22,276 Speaker 1: look at him, saying, why you want to record something 173 00:10:22,276 --> 00:10:24,236 Speaker 1: that we can play for you endless see that you 174 00:10:24,236 --> 00:10:29,076 Speaker 1: can listen to all the time. And I look at 175 00:10:29,116 --> 00:10:31,276 Speaker 1: my husband. He looked at me. I said, I told 176 00:10:31,316 --> 00:10:33,836 Speaker 1: you so, Yeah, you thought I was making it up. 177 00:10:34,156 --> 00:10:37,036 Speaker 1: That's it for you. I mean. And people have to dress, 178 00:10:37,156 --> 00:10:39,916 Speaker 1: they just they just cannot take the dress the drums 179 00:10:39,916 --> 00:10:41,796 Speaker 1: start playing. They have to be ready. I mean, there's 180 00:10:41,836 --> 00:10:43,676 Speaker 1: no question asked about it. Why you have to be 181 00:10:44,276 --> 00:10:47,756 Speaker 1: clean and sharp dressed to play the drums. It is 182 00:10:47,756 --> 00:10:50,836 Speaker 1: because you are giving something. You are talking to people 183 00:10:50,876 --> 00:10:53,236 Speaker 1: fo the drums and the drums are inviting people to 184 00:10:53,276 --> 00:10:56,796 Speaker 1: be part of something. It's the moment, because we believe 185 00:10:56,916 --> 00:11:01,796 Speaker 1: deeply that every moment should be leave to the fullest 186 00:11:01,836 --> 00:11:03,676 Speaker 1: because we don't know if we're gonna be here tomorrow. 187 00:11:03,916 --> 00:11:07,156 Speaker 1: So every time we bring the drums out, whatever the circumstances, 188 00:11:07,196 --> 00:11:09,396 Speaker 1: so I can't be baptism. Even when somebody passed away, 189 00:11:09,516 --> 00:11:12,876 Speaker 1: we sing the person to the grave and we celebrate 190 00:11:12,916 --> 00:11:14,636 Speaker 1: the memory, the good memory and the bad memory of 191 00:11:14,676 --> 00:11:17,156 Speaker 1: the person, because it's like a part of us that 192 00:11:17,356 --> 00:11:19,596 Speaker 1: is gone, but that partly we're gonna keep it. So 193 00:11:19,596 --> 00:11:21,716 Speaker 1: we're gonna celebrate. And when my mom passed away in 194 00:11:21,796 --> 00:11:25,076 Speaker 1: last June, she always used to tell us the day 195 00:11:25,076 --> 00:11:27,236 Speaker 1: I die, and I want you to sing my Lika 196 00:11:27,396 --> 00:11:30,236 Speaker 1: for me. I said, Mom, I'm gonna do that. She said, 197 00:11:30,236 --> 00:11:32,636 Speaker 1: even if you're crying. I want that in my ears 198 00:11:32,676 --> 00:11:35,476 Speaker 1: before you put me in a caffin. So I did, 199 00:11:35,556 --> 00:11:37,276 Speaker 1: which was really hard for me to do. I didn't 200 00:11:37,276 --> 00:11:40,276 Speaker 1: couldn't even finish the song. But she really summoned us 201 00:11:40,276 --> 00:11:42,756 Speaker 1: and said, I don't want anybody to wear black, and 202 00:11:42,796 --> 00:11:44,276 Speaker 1: I don't want you to be crying. I want you 203 00:11:44,316 --> 00:11:47,076 Speaker 1: to play music all the time. Play me some fune 204 00:11:47,316 --> 00:11:49,836 Speaker 1: some R and B, some hip hop, all kind of 205 00:11:49,916 --> 00:11:52,476 Speaker 1: music that she dares to. People are looking at us, like, 206 00:11:53,476 --> 00:11:56,156 Speaker 1: your mom just diing, you're having fun. You guys are crazy. 207 00:11:56,316 --> 00:11:58,796 Speaker 1: Some people make comment saying that I lost my soul 208 00:11:58,796 --> 00:12:00,396 Speaker 1: because I was dancing, and I'm like, that's what my 209 00:12:00,476 --> 00:12:02,916 Speaker 1: mom wants. We liked it or not. As hard as 210 00:12:02,956 --> 00:12:06,516 Speaker 1: it was for us her children, we didn't have the 211 00:12:06,596 --> 00:12:08,276 Speaker 1: choice but to do what she asked us to do, 212 00:12:08,396 --> 00:12:10,756 Speaker 1: even though we were all in pain or on tears 213 00:12:10,796 --> 00:12:13,796 Speaker 1: and crying. We did because that's the person my mom is. 214 00:12:14,076 --> 00:12:18,636 Speaker 1: She's very artistic. She loved theater, she loved music. She 215 00:12:18,756 --> 00:12:20,956 Speaker 1: taught me how to sing, how to dress all my 216 00:12:21,036 --> 00:12:23,236 Speaker 1: stage outfit. When I was a little girl, she would 217 00:12:23,236 --> 00:12:26,996 Speaker 1: go to the extent of finding different fabric, telling me, well, 218 00:12:27,236 --> 00:12:29,716 Speaker 1: you can't wear your everyday clothes. People wear them all 219 00:12:29,716 --> 00:12:31,916 Speaker 1: the time. When you're on stage, not only you singing, 220 00:12:32,156 --> 00:12:34,396 Speaker 1: you are performing, you have to see you in different gowns. 221 00:12:34,716 --> 00:12:37,996 Speaker 1: We should say, your mom ran a theater. Yes, yes, 222 00:12:38,276 --> 00:12:40,916 Speaker 1: she ran the largest theater in West Africa till today. 223 00:12:41,516 --> 00:12:45,476 Speaker 1: And what was interesting in my upbringing is the fact 224 00:12:45,516 --> 00:12:51,236 Speaker 1: that my parents the love of music, for art in general, 225 00:12:51,516 --> 00:12:55,916 Speaker 1: and their passion also for sport were combined because they 226 00:12:55,996 --> 00:12:59,596 Speaker 1: always said, whatever instrument you play, even with your voice, 227 00:12:59,596 --> 00:13:01,836 Speaker 1: you anybody, your body needs to be in fit. You 228 00:13:01,916 --> 00:13:04,716 Speaker 1: need to work out to be able to to have 229 00:13:04,876 --> 00:13:08,636 Speaker 1: a healthy life. And me, I was born with asthma, 230 00:13:08,756 --> 00:13:12,516 Speaker 1: so so I start running fifteen meters in athletic club 231 00:13:12,636 --> 00:13:15,036 Speaker 1: in Benin and start swimming. People are telling my parents 232 00:13:15,036 --> 00:13:17,076 Speaker 1: you're Chris. You're gonna kill your child and my mom 233 00:13:17,116 --> 00:13:19,276 Speaker 1: dad said, no, she has to strengthen her length. I 234 00:13:19,516 --> 00:13:21,916 Speaker 1: step by steps, she's gonna be able to have a 235 00:13:21,956 --> 00:13:24,916 Speaker 1: normal life, not being crippled by asthma. My mom and 236 00:13:24,996 --> 00:13:27,836 Speaker 1: dad also we bring us all kinds of music. If 237 00:13:27,836 --> 00:13:30,516 Speaker 1: the music is this, someone on this planet, they find 238 00:13:30,556 --> 00:13:33,116 Speaker 1: it and they bring it. Is it true your dad 239 00:13:33,596 --> 00:13:36,716 Speaker 1: bought a bunch of instruments because he wanted your brothers 240 00:13:36,716 --> 00:13:39,316 Speaker 1: to be like the Jackson five. My father managed to 241 00:13:39,356 --> 00:13:42,516 Speaker 1: take a loan to buy the instruments and didn't tell 242 00:13:42,556 --> 00:13:45,676 Speaker 1: anything to my mom, no to my brothers. My mom 243 00:13:45,756 --> 00:13:47,676 Speaker 1: was pissed off. He said, how are you gonna pay 244 00:13:47,716 --> 00:13:51,276 Speaker 1: for this? My dad said, don't worry about it. We'll 245 00:13:51,356 --> 00:13:55,916 Speaker 1: find a way to play it. And while my older 246 00:13:55,956 --> 00:13:59,476 Speaker 1: brother was a nasturale musician. He taught himself to play 247 00:13:59,516 --> 00:14:03,436 Speaker 1: all the instruments he can play, keyboard, guitar, bass, drum, 248 00:14:03,876 --> 00:14:05,996 Speaker 1: whatever you bring put in his hand, he would play. 249 00:14:06,836 --> 00:14:10,356 Speaker 1: And my mom and dad loved me. Basically, my mom 250 00:14:10,436 --> 00:14:12,156 Speaker 1: used to play when she was in high school in 251 00:14:12,156 --> 00:14:14,356 Speaker 1: the band where she played the clarinet and sayings too. 252 00:14:15,196 --> 00:14:17,516 Speaker 1: But the thing is, my father was that kind of 253 00:14:17,636 --> 00:14:22,396 Speaker 1: person that believe that the world, as big as it is, 254 00:14:23,916 --> 00:14:26,156 Speaker 1: he can bring part of it to us through music 255 00:14:26,156 --> 00:14:29,396 Speaker 1: and culture in general, and always urge us to think 256 00:14:29,436 --> 00:14:33,196 Speaker 1: beyond the door of the house, saying to us, when 257 00:14:33,196 --> 00:14:36,356 Speaker 1: you get out of here, you're a citizen of this world, 258 00:14:36,716 --> 00:14:39,636 Speaker 1: and I hope I've given you enough tool for you 259 00:14:39,716 --> 00:14:43,476 Speaker 1: to live in this diverse world and challenging world we're living. 260 00:14:43,916 --> 00:14:47,796 Speaker 1: So music was part of that too, because sometimes he 261 00:14:47,836 --> 00:14:51,516 Speaker 1: would bring some stuff, weird music sometimes, But when he 262 00:14:51,556 --> 00:14:55,316 Speaker 1: started bringing classical music, were life that what is this? 263 00:14:55,716 --> 00:15:01,556 Speaker 1: Especially me? I said that music has no reason to us. 264 00:15:02,076 --> 00:15:03,916 Speaker 1: I think it was Beethove, and I don't know which 265 00:15:03,956 --> 00:15:06,996 Speaker 1: one he brought them, Like, man, Dad, we can't dance 266 00:15:07,036 --> 00:15:12,716 Speaker 1: on that now. How did you discover that you had 267 00:15:13,716 --> 00:15:17,196 Speaker 1: this powerhouse? Voice, because you know, one of your heroes 268 00:15:17,236 --> 00:15:20,636 Speaker 1: growing up was Aretha Franklin. You had the amazing Grace record. 269 00:15:20,756 --> 00:15:22,636 Speaker 1: You know, she at the church. That's where she found 270 00:15:22,676 --> 00:15:24,996 Speaker 1: out she could sing like that. How did you find 271 00:15:24,996 --> 00:15:29,196 Speaker 1: out that you had this booming voice? My father used 272 00:15:29,236 --> 00:15:32,996 Speaker 1: to say to me when people asked that question, how 273 00:15:33,076 --> 00:15:35,876 Speaker 1: come your daughter is singing? My first? I can't tell 274 00:15:35,916 --> 00:15:38,756 Speaker 1: you what I remember when she starts speaking, she would 275 00:15:38,756 --> 00:15:41,636 Speaker 1: be talking to me singing. I started singing before I 276 00:15:41,676 --> 00:15:45,196 Speaker 1: started making phrases, just because I was surrounded by song. 277 00:15:45,756 --> 00:15:48,116 Speaker 1: There's always ceremony somewhere, and I'll be sitting on the 278 00:15:48,196 --> 00:15:50,876 Speaker 1: lap of my mom and I'll be clapping my hand. 279 00:15:50,916 --> 00:15:52,676 Speaker 1: When I was two or three years or not understanding 280 00:15:52,716 --> 00:15:56,876 Speaker 1: anything about anything, and I developed that musical memory, not 281 00:15:57,076 --> 00:16:00,556 Speaker 1: knowing that I was gonna be a singer, because till 282 00:16:00,596 --> 00:16:03,356 Speaker 1: I make the leap to be a singer, I wanted 283 00:16:03,396 --> 00:16:05,796 Speaker 1: to be a human right lawyer or a surgeon. Your 284 00:16:05,796 --> 00:16:10,436 Speaker 1: country was under a communist dictatorship, and in a strange way, 285 00:16:10,716 --> 00:16:13,676 Speaker 1: it almost helped you in music at first, because they 286 00:16:13,716 --> 00:16:16,636 Speaker 1: declared everybody had to have like a cooperative they called 287 00:16:16,636 --> 00:16:18,476 Speaker 1: it at school, and so you formed the band that 288 00:16:18,596 --> 00:16:23,316 Speaker 1: was called the Sphinx. So we start playing the thing 289 00:16:23,396 --> 00:16:25,996 Speaker 1: that was not clear about that we were making. The 290 00:16:25,996 --> 00:16:29,116 Speaker 1: head of the high school allowed us to do that 291 00:16:29,316 --> 00:16:32,516 Speaker 1: because it was imposed by the government. But what does 292 00:16:32,596 --> 00:16:35,036 Speaker 1: the money go? Because they sell tickets and we were 293 00:16:35,076 --> 00:16:38,556 Speaker 1: not paid, why does the money go? So we don't 294 00:16:38,596 --> 00:16:41,156 Speaker 1: know what the money goes. But we figured out that 295 00:16:41,196 --> 00:16:42,876 Speaker 1: the head of the school was taking the money to 296 00:16:42,876 --> 00:16:48,996 Speaker 1: build his house nice and I'm like, okay, enough for 297 00:16:49,116 --> 00:16:51,876 Speaker 1: this nonsense. I mean, two years before I finished high school, 298 00:16:51,876 --> 00:16:54,036 Speaker 1: I'm saying, I said to myself enough, I'll do my 299 00:16:54,076 --> 00:16:56,316 Speaker 1: own stuff and I'll be paid. I don't want to 300 00:16:56,316 --> 00:16:59,156 Speaker 1: do this anymore. We'll be right back with more from 301 00:16:59,196 --> 00:17:07,596 Speaker 1: Angelique Kijo after a quick break. We're back with Angelique Kijo. 302 00:17:08,756 --> 00:17:12,556 Speaker 1: When you were listening to Western albums when you were 303 00:17:12,596 --> 00:17:14,596 Speaker 1: a kid, because you always had music in the house. 304 00:17:15,276 --> 00:17:18,476 Speaker 1: You mentioned James Brown, you really liked Curtis Mayfield. I 305 00:17:18,476 --> 00:17:21,516 Speaker 1: think did it sound stilted? You did it sound like one, two, 306 00:17:21,556 --> 00:17:23,836 Speaker 1: three four? Did it sound western? Or did you hear 307 00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:26,956 Speaker 1: your music in it? Africa is the James Brown is 308 00:17:26,956 --> 00:17:29,076 Speaker 1: the first one that put the beat first beat on there. 309 00:17:29,396 --> 00:17:33,076 Speaker 1: He changed a lot of things. And for me, as 310 00:17:33,116 --> 00:17:35,676 Speaker 1: an African young little girl, when I first heard James 311 00:17:35,716 --> 00:17:39,836 Speaker 1: Brown like, it's not only the rhythm that attract me 312 00:17:39,876 --> 00:17:46,116 Speaker 1: to him, is how he plays his voice. He made 313 00:17:46,396 --> 00:17:51,196 Speaker 1: the English language rhythmic for me. Till then it was 314 00:17:51,276 --> 00:17:54,716 Speaker 1: another language like others, and I was not paying that 315 00:17:54,836 --> 00:17:56,916 Speaker 1: much attention to it in school when I was learning it. 316 00:17:57,716 --> 00:18:00,436 Speaker 1: And from the moment I started hearing James Brown sing 317 00:18:00,556 --> 00:18:03,756 Speaker 1: in English, I'm like God, singly like this guy because 318 00:18:03,796 --> 00:18:06,956 Speaker 1: I love rhythm. You speak and sing and I think 319 00:18:06,956 --> 00:18:10,516 Speaker 1: at least five languages. Yes, Indeed, is English a harder 320 00:18:10,596 --> 00:18:13,836 Speaker 1: language to be rhythmic in? No, it's easy. It's easier 321 00:18:13,836 --> 00:18:16,836 Speaker 1: than in French. French is more, much more complicated. The 322 00:18:16,956 --> 00:18:21,396 Speaker 1: difference is how can I say this? The English language 323 00:18:21,916 --> 00:18:25,796 Speaker 1: you can say things with one word, and the same 324 00:18:25,836 --> 00:18:28,836 Speaker 1: thing you say in one word in English you need 325 00:18:28,916 --> 00:18:32,996 Speaker 1: two or three. In France it's more descriptive the French language, 326 00:18:33,596 --> 00:18:37,356 Speaker 1: and the sounds are not the same. The vowel or 327 00:18:37,436 --> 00:18:40,876 Speaker 1: constoms are not pronounced the same. How does that compare? Then, 328 00:18:41,316 --> 00:18:45,076 Speaker 1: your father was so you spoke that language, yeah, and 329 00:18:45,156 --> 00:18:49,916 Speaker 1: your mother was Yoruba and phon both. It's absolutely not 330 00:18:49,956 --> 00:18:52,036 Speaker 1: the same sound at all. How do they compare in 331 00:18:52,116 --> 00:18:55,316 Speaker 1: terms of singing in those languages, it's different. For example, 332 00:18:55,316 --> 00:18:59,556 Speaker 1: if you want to say good morning in Yoruba and 333 00:18:59,756 --> 00:19:07,716 Speaker 1: in font it's already it's Ecaro, it's already singing. And 334 00:19:07,916 --> 00:19:11,076 Speaker 1: Phon is the anguage of the Amazon, so it is 335 00:19:11,156 --> 00:19:14,196 Speaker 1: a language of power. Every time I go back to 336 00:19:14,236 --> 00:19:17,476 Speaker 1: being in and I start speaking, people turn around and 337 00:19:17,516 --> 00:19:20,716 Speaker 1: look at me, like, you've left this country for how long? 338 00:19:20,756 --> 00:19:22,516 Speaker 1: And you speak this long better than us? I said, 339 00:19:22,516 --> 00:19:25,316 Speaker 1: because I live in the complexity of this language. Time 340 00:19:25,356 --> 00:19:27,876 Speaker 1: I'm trying to write a song, as you're writing, does 341 00:19:27,876 --> 00:19:30,836 Speaker 1: it naturally occur to you? It fits this language? You know? 342 00:19:30,956 --> 00:19:34,636 Speaker 1: Sometimes I'm inspired to sing something in all the language. 343 00:19:34,676 --> 00:19:37,076 Speaker 1: I mean, when I was prepared the album Modern Nature 344 00:19:37,156 --> 00:19:39,876 Speaker 1: versus song on my demo that didn't make it to 345 00:19:39,916 --> 00:19:42,676 Speaker 1: the album, we were composing it and I was writing it. 346 00:19:43,236 --> 00:19:45,796 Speaker 1: I said to me, it comes like had to be Portuguese. 347 00:19:46,796 --> 00:19:50,076 Speaker 1: No other language was fitting into this. So I wrote 348 00:19:50,276 --> 00:19:53,236 Speaker 1: my stuff and I put in Google Translation and start 349 00:19:53,276 --> 00:19:55,756 Speaker 1: singing Portuguese. And I call my friend and say, is 350 00:19:55,796 --> 00:19:57,636 Speaker 1: this right? This is what I'm trying to say. So 351 00:19:57,676 --> 00:20:01,556 Speaker 1: she corrected it and it fits perfectly, So I just 352 00:20:01,676 --> 00:20:05,076 Speaker 1: follow what comes with the song. I don't know what 353 00:20:05,156 --> 00:20:08,316 Speaker 1: it's going to be. I don't have any control on 354 00:20:08,396 --> 00:20:12,836 Speaker 1: my inspiration. And that's something that I realize and I 355 00:20:12,956 --> 00:20:15,636 Speaker 1: learn hardly. When I'm in spiled to do something that 356 00:20:15,876 --> 00:20:17,916 Speaker 1: I will record it and I'll put it aside and 357 00:20:17,916 --> 00:20:20,276 Speaker 1: I try to make something beautifully fitted to it. It 358 00:20:20,316 --> 00:20:24,476 Speaker 1: doesn't work. And when it hits me that less is more, 359 00:20:25,876 --> 00:20:28,596 Speaker 1: that's when I realized that the thing that comes first, 360 00:20:28,836 --> 00:20:31,636 Speaker 1: the thing that burst out of you, you gotta keep that. 361 00:20:32,316 --> 00:20:36,196 Speaker 1: You gotta keep it into that integrity of the thing, 362 00:20:36,316 --> 00:20:41,636 Speaker 1: otherwise it doesn't sound right. When did you learn that? Lesson? Oh, 363 00:20:41,676 --> 00:20:44,476 Speaker 1: I was writing music since I was eleven years old. 364 00:20:44,716 --> 00:20:50,236 Speaker 1: I read Verse and I'm like, something not working. I'm 365 00:20:50,236 --> 00:20:53,476 Speaker 1: trying too hard. It's not what I wanted to say 366 00:20:53,516 --> 00:20:55,236 Speaker 1: at the beginning. Then I'll go back and say, let 367 00:20:55,236 --> 00:20:57,436 Speaker 1: me try what I say. And when I when I 368 00:20:57,556 --> 00:20:59,756 Speaker 1: close to it, then I find my lyrics and I 369 00:20:59,796 --> 00:21:03,316 Speaker 1: find my melody in my rhythm too, because the rhythm 370 00:21:03,396 --> 00:21:05,956 Speaker 1: is there in the world. The rhythms are there. Everything 371 00:21:06,196 --> 00:21:11,076 Speaker 1: comes if you listen carefully to your furation. Everything is 372 00:21:11,116 --> 00:21:14,476 Speaker 1: already lay out for you and all the rest. It's 373 00:21:14,556 --> 00:21:18,236 Speaker 1: just ornament. When you were growing up, you were teased 374 00:21:18,276 --> 00:21:21,636 Speaker 1: for singing? Was it? It was mainly men who sang 375 00:21:21,836 --> 00:21:26,156 Speaker 1: and boys, men and girls. I mean what was hard 376 00:21:26,476 --> 00:21:31,316 Speaker 1: was when I arrived in high school because I when 377 00:21:31,356 --> 00:21:33,236 Speaker 1: I was when I was in primary school, it was 378 00:21:33,316 --> 00:21:36,556 Speaker 1: girls because of jealousy because I was singing. I will 379 00:21:36,636 --> 00:21:39,076 Speaker 1: tell them, well, last night when I was out singing 380 00:21:39,076 --> 00:21:41,076 Speaker 1: in the club, this disc happened. They look at me, 381 00:21:41,316 --> 00:21:45,556 Speaker 1: you lie, you no way you can get I'm okay. 382 00:21:45,716 --> 00:21:49,156 Speaker 1: So I stopped talking about my concert because they were 383 00:21:49,196 --> 00:21:51,396 Speaker 1: annoyed and they didn't like it at all. And I 384 00:21:51,556 --> 00:21:56,236 Speaker 1: have many friends either. And when I arrived my first 385 00:21:56,316 --> 00:21:59,716 Speaker 1: year in high school was her on nerve. The first 386 00:21:59,796 --> 00:22:03,356 Speaker 1: day I arrived, I saw a couple of guys at 387 00:22:03,396 --> 00:22:08,996 Speaker 1: the door seeing nonsense, insulting people. I'm like, okay, funny whatever, 388 00:22:09,596 --> 00:22:11,636 Speaker 1: and they will say, you don't be along here, you 389 00:22:11,716 --> 00:22:13,436 Speaker 1: already finished primary school. What the hell are you doing? 390 00:22:13,476 --> 00:22:15,596 Speaker 1: You should get married and get out of our way. 391 00:22:15,676 --> 00:22:18,556 Speaker 1: I'm like, really, don't dare? I mean, I grew up 392 00:22:18,556 --> 00:22:21,436 Speaker 1: you seven brothers. The next step was to try to 393 00:22:21,556 --> 00:22:25,276 Speaker 1: humiliate you so they will find a stick of wood, 394 00:22:25,756 --> 00:22:28,116 Speaker 1: and I don't know how they do that. They put 395 00:22:28,156 --> 00:22:29,956 Speaker 1: mirror on it and you're walking. They tried to look 396 00:22:29,996 --> 00:22:34,556 Speaker 1: under your your dress and that I get mad. And 397 00:22:34,956 --> 00:22:37,636 Speaker 1: I remember getting back, coming back from schooling, telling my dad, 398 00:22:37,756 --> 00:22:41,036 Speaker 1: you say not to fight physical fight a couple of boys. 399 00:22:41,236 --> 00:22:45,196 Speaker 1: I want to just crap the teeth of My father said, no, 400 00:22:45,596 --> 00:22:48,796 Speaker 1: you aren't doing that. I didn't teach you violence. My 401 00:22:48,796 --> 00:22:51,716 Speaker 1: father's aren't too smart. They think they're smarter than you 402 00:22:51,756 --> 00:22:53,716 Speaker 1: because they've been into high school before you came in. 403 00:22:55,236 --> 00:22:59,996 Speaker 1: I'll smother them, find something they can't understand, invent a 404 00:23:00,036 --> 00:23:02,996 Speaker 1: world that means something for you that they don't know. 405 00:23:04,516 --> 00:23:07,716 Speaker 1: I'm like, gee, that's hard. Oh I'm gonna do this. 406 00:23:08,116 --> 00:23:10,276 Speaker 1: So I came up with the world batonga, which means 407 00:23:10,436 --> 00:23:13,596 Speaker 1: care off my bag. I will do whatever I want 408 00:23:13,596 --> 00:23:16,396 Speaker 1: to do and whoever I want to be. How did 409 00:23:16,396 --> 00:23:18,116 Speaker 1: you come up with that word? I don't know. I 410 00:23:18,156 --> 00:23:20,516 Speaker 1: woke up one day, was there in my mind? So 411 00:23:20,556 --> 00:23:23,796 Speaker 1: I go ba tonga and the guys go, is she crazy? 412 00:23:23,796 --> 00:23:26,996 Speaker 1: What kind of language is that? Oh? She crazy? This 413 00:23:26,996 --> 00:23:29,556 Speaker 1: man is crazy. She wanted last in school. That's how 414 00:23:29,716 --> 00:23:31,996 Speaker 1: they let me. That became a big song. For you, 415 00:23:32,396 --> 00:23:36,636 Speaker 1: it's your foundation. Yeah, that stays with me because I 416 00:23:36,796 --> 00:23:41,796 Speaker 1: realized that when you outsmart people in a good way, 417 00:23:42,116 --> 00:23:46,396 Speaker 1: even if there's no conversation after that, you have escaped fight. 418 00:23:46,996 --> 00:23:51,076 Speaker 1: We underestimate our ability to talk people out of nonsense. 419 00:23:52,516 --> 00:23:55,556 Speaker 1: And from that moment on, for me, it was obvious 420 00:23:55,636 --> 00:23:59,476 Speaker 1: that fight wore all those things our incapacity to come 421 00:23:59,516 --> 00:24:03,276 Speaker 1: to understanding. Everybody want to win. It's not possible. What 422 00:24:03,396 --> 00:24:05,876 Speaker 1: do I care about what people think about me. They 423 00:24:05,876 --> 00:24:08,556 Speaker 1: a'n't paying my bill, They're not my family, they're not 424 00:24:08,636 --> 00:24:10,236 Speaker 1: my friend. If you can say whatever you want to 425 00:24:10,236 --> 00:24:14,316 Speaker 1: give them. I learned that because of school, you're pretty 426 00:24:14,316 --> 00:24:19,236 Speaker 1: fearless about going in the countries in Africa. You know, 427 00:24:19,356 --> 00:24:22,156 Speaker 1: you got it up in front of pretty hostile crowds 428 00:24:22,316 --> 00:24:26,356 Speaker 1: and talked about in general mutilation of girls and all 429 00:24:26,436 --> 00:24:29,356 Speaker 1: kinds of issues and slavery and sexual abuse. You don't 430 00:24:29,356 --> 00:24:32,356 Speaker 1: seem to have any fear about talking about stuff on stage. Well, 431 00:24:32,396 --> 00:24:34,436 Speaker 1: you know, fear is the beginning of the end of 432 00:24:34,476 --> 00:24:36,876 Speaker 1: all our humanity. I, having wrote the song and this 433 00:24:36,996 --> 00:24:41,516 Speaker 1: new album, said we are our own enemies. Fear work 434 00:24:41,596 --> 00:24:46,236 Speaker 1: hand in hand with violence and hate. So unless we 435 00:24:46,356 --> 00:24:49,916 Speaker 1: decide that we are all equal, free and equal, as 436 00:24:49,956 --> 00:24:53,716 Speaker 1: the first article of the Human Right Declaration, and we 437 00:24:53,716 --> 00:24:56,516 Speaker 1: are not doing it. There are problems in this world 438 00:24:56,556 --> 00:25:02,076 Speaker 1: and lots of them are created by our complacency, our 439 00:25:02,196 --> 00:25:05,556 Speaker 1: silence to accept that if it profits me, it doesn't 440 00:25:05,556 --> 00:25:09,356 Speaker 1: profit other people are okare with it? So everything down 441 00:25:09,436 --> 00:25:14,876 Speaker 1: we make your choice off. Saying being silent is more 442 00:25:14,916 --> 00:25:18,516 Speaker 1: comfortable for me, you are putting over other people in danger. 443 00:25:19,876 --> 00:25:26,116 Speaker 1: You're allowing people to abuse, to rape, to kill and 444 00:25:26,196 --> 00:25:29,156 Speaker 1: to profit from it. Where if I live in fear, 445 00:25:29,636 --> 00:25:32,196 Speaker 1: I won't be here today as a union step would 446 00:25:32,196 --> 00:25:35,916 Speaker 1: be an ambassador. I've seen so many suffering for children. 447 00:25:36,236 --> 00:25:40,676 Speaker 1: That's what makes me mad. Does that not the rage, 448 00:25:40,756 --> 00:25:43,996 Speaker 1: but the lack of fear? Has that always carried over 449 00:25:44,076 --> 00:25:46,116 Speaker 1: in your art as well? I've done You've done a 450 00:25:46,116 --> 00:25:48,836 Speaker 1: lot of big projects all the time. Have you never 451 00:25:49,556 --> 00:25:51,876 Speaker 1: said I'm a little worried about this, or I'm not 452 00:25:51,916 --> 00:25:55,116 Speaker 1: sure I'm getting this right, or you know, you did 453 00:25:55,156 --> 00:25:57,956 Speaker 1: a very ambitious set of albums which is really all 454 00:25:58,036 --> 00:26:01,236 Speaker 1: about the spread of West African music through the world. 455 00:26:02,596 --> 00:26:05,876 Speaker 1: We should mention for our listeners. You know where you 456 00:26:05,916 --> 00:26:10,036 Speaker 1: come from. Its basically the cradle of so much Western music. 457 00:26:10,396 --> 00:26:14,836 Speaker 1: It's kind of the vienna of pop music. You've never 458 00:26:14,836 --> 00:26:17,916 Speaker 1: been afraid as an artist to put something out at 459 00:26:17,996 --> 00:26:19,956 Speaker 1: the end of my day on this earth, I want 460 00:26:19,956 --> 00:26:22,596 Speaker 1: to be able to die and said I've done my best, 461 00:26:22,836 --> 00:26:25,636 Speaker 1: I've done my share. I don't want to die as 462 00:26:25,716 --> 00:26:29,876 Speaker 1: thinking well I should have, because if you look like 463 00:26:29,956 --> 00:26:33,356 Speaker 1: live like that, you become bitter, You become a person 464 00:26:33,436 --> 00:26:36,076 Speaker 1: that you don't want to be. But that's helping other people. 465 00:26:36,356 --> 00:26:39,556 Speaker 1: Are you as confident You've written so many songs, you've 466 00:26:39,556 --> 00:26:42,996 Speaker 1: done so many albums, you don't ever question yourself. You 467 00:26:43,076 --> 00:26:47,076 Speaker 1: always feel you're giving your best always, Especially with my music. 468 00:26:47,156 --> 00:26:49,516 Speaker 1: There's don't lie in it because I can't live with it. 469 00:26:50,236 --> 00:26:53,756 Speaker 1: My inspiration is what I follow. There's not one song 470 00:26:53,916 --> 00:26:56,876 Speaker 1: in my repertoire that I won't see with pleasure today, 471 00:26:57,036 --> 00:27:01,076 Speaker 1: all of it, because it's right to say what you 472 00:27:01,156 --> 00:27:04,436 Speaker 1: have to say. I come from a culture of orality, 473 00:27:05,196 --> 00:27:08,476 Speaker 1: where the story of my ancestor the story of little 474 00:27:08,596 --> 00:27:11,036 Speaker 1: have been told to me by elderly people, and it's 475 00:27:11,076 --> 00:27:13,396 Speaker 1: different from anything you can read in the book. That 476 00:27:13,596 --> 00:27:16,356 Speaker 1: interested me in reading your book because you said you 477 00:27:16,436 --> 00:27:21,436 Speaker 1: got a great education, but they didn't teach you about slavery, 478 00:27:21,996 --> 00:27:25,556 Speaker 1: and you didn't. You learned about slavery when your brother 479 00:27:25,876 --> 00:27:28,316 Speaker 1: brought home a Jimi Hendrix album. Can you tell me 480 00:27:28,356 --> 00:27:33,236 Speaker 1: that story. What was interesting on that album is two things. 481 00:27:33,356 --> 00:27:36,836 Speaker 1: That two things the snake above his head. I've never 482 00:27:36,876 --> 00:27:40,836 Speaker 1: seen snake on any album that much, right, and the 483 00:27:40,916 --> 00:27:45,596 Speaker 1: Afro For me, those two things you gotta be African, 484 00:27:46,036 --> 00:27:49,636 Speaker 1: especially from Benie, because we worshiped the python in my 485 00:27:49,716 --> 00:27:52,676 Speaker 1: family and I'm scared of it, so I don't like snake. 486 00:27:53,276 --> 00:27:56,036 Speaker 1: But then I see my brother that was my brother 487 00:27:56,116 --> 00:27:58,916 Speaker 1: was born with no hair, and he never had any hair. 488 00:27:59,196 --> 00:28:03,156 Speaker 1: He would wear a long tunic and we put Afroweek 489 00:28:03,196 --> 00:28:05,956 Speaker 1: on every time he put that album on. And I 490 00:28:05,996 --> 00:28:09,636 Speaker 1: went to him, I said, what I was nice? I said, 491 00:28:10,036 --> 00:28:12,756 Speaker 1: explain to me, do you need enough frow week to 492 00:28:12,756 --> 00:28:15,156 Speaker 1: play the guitar of this guy? And by the way, 493 00:28:16,036 --> 00:28:20,476 Speaker 1: he's African, right, And then he goes, well, he's African American. 494 00:28:21,956 --> 00:28:23,636 Speaker 1: I said, are you trying to pull my leg? Because 495 00:28:23,636 --> 00:28:25,316 Speaker 1: I'm nine years old? You think I'm stupid enough not 496 00:28:25,316 --> 00:28:27,116 Speaker 1: to understand you can't be African and American at the 497 00:28:27,116 --> 00:28:30,796 Speaker 1: same time. It's two different continent. I know that so far. 498 00:28:31,476 --> 00:28:35,276 Speaker 1: And he's like, well, if I start answering you, I'm 499 00:28:35,276 --> 00:28:37,436 Speaker 1: not going to practice my guitar, right, So go ask 500 00:28:37,636 --> 00:28:41,116 Speaker 1: go ask a grandma. So the only grandma can put 501 00:28:41,156 --> 00:28:44,076 Speaker 1: my hand on was my mom's mother. And she starts 502 00:28:44,076 --> 00:28:46,276 Speaker 1: telling me the story of slavery. And I look at 503 00:28:46,316 --> 00:28:52,356 Speaker 1: him like she's having a dementia. Man, this is not right. 504 00:28:52,956 --> 00:28:57,116 Speaker 1: She's losing a mama. Because my mom and dad we 505 00:28:57,236 --> 00:28:59,316 Speaker 1: always say to us before we leave the house, a 506 00:28:59,396 --> 00:29:01,876 Speaker 1: human being is not a matter of color. Don't come 507 00:29:01,876 --> 00:29:04,076 Speaker 1: back here tell us you felt because you're black. And 508 00:29:04,116 --> 00:29:07,236 Speaker 1: I'd be just like I grew up with that, So 509 00:29:07,516 --> 00:29:11,076 Speaker 1: I brush it off. I'm like, yeah, well, I guess 510 00:29:11,076 --> 00:29:14,316 Speaker 1: nobody's gonna tell me anything about slavery. Then I turned 511 00:29:14,316 --> 00:29:19,236 Speaker 1: fifteen and I learned about apathey in South Africa. It's 512 00:29:19,316 --> 00:29:23,236 Speaker 1: just like I was hit by a twin running, I 513 00:29:23,276 --> 00:29:27,516 Speaker 1: mean a fast train boom, and I just lost it. 514 00:29:27,676 --> 00:29:30,356 Speaker 1: And did you learn about that in school? No? No, 515 00:29:30,516 --> 00:29:34,716 Speaker 1: they didn't TV, they didn't teach apartheid. No, I just 516 00:29:34,756 --> 00:29:36,396 Speaker 1: saw it. I just thought we did in Mandela talking 517 00:29:36,396 --> 00:29:39,596 Speaker 1: about Nelson Mandela just and I lost it, literally and 518 00:29:39,636 --> 00:29:42,756 Speaker 1: I turned around and see my mother for the first time, 519 00:29:42,756 --> 00:29:45,636 Speaker 1: I said, why are you lying to me? And I 520 00:29:45,756 --> 00:29:48,796 Speaker 1: never scream at my parents. You're not allowed to disrespect 521 00:29:48,796 --> 00:29:52,556 Speaker 1: your parents in Africa, And I smashed the door, walk 522 00:29:52,596 --> 00:29:56,276 Speaker 1: into my room, starts crabbing. Lie. I was mad and 523 00:29:56,436 --> 00:30:01,436 Speaker 1: afraid at the same time, because suddenly I realized that 524 00:30:01,596 --> 00:30:05,036 Speaker 1: being black can be a death sentence for me, because 525 00:30:05,036 --> 00:30:08,116 Speaker 1: what is going on in South Africa. And then slavery 526 00:30:08,156 --> 00:30:11,436 Speaker 1: come to my m J and I start panicking. Then 527 00:30:11,476 --> 00:30:14,996 Speaker 1: I wrote a song and my first draft was so hateful. 528 00:30:16,356 --> 00:30:19,236 Speaker 1: I'm going out they kill everybody that is getting black people. 529 00:30:19,236 --> 00:30:22,676 Speaker 1: And my father said, hey, I listen to my song 530 00:30:22,756 --> 00:30:26,836 Speaker 1: and go, are you serious? Did I teach you hating 531 00:30:26,916 --> 00:30:29,036 Speaker 1: this house? Didn't I tell you that they're never gonna 532 00:30:29,076 --> 00:30:32,036 Speaker 1: be hating. Violence allowed here. There's no platform for this, 533 00:30:32,356 --> 00:30:35,716 Speaker 1: no outlet. If you want to sing, you want to 534 00:30:35,756 --> 00:30:39,236 Speaker 1: be an artist, you better think again. I say, what 535 00:30:39,276 --> 00:30:42,196 Speaker 1: do you mean? He said to me. I understand you're mad, 536 00:30:42,236 --> 00:30:46,396 Speaker 1: you're afraid everything, but that reaction that you have it's 537 00:30:46,436 --> 00:30:48,556 Speaker 1: not from the smart girl that I know. You better 538 00:30:48,596 --> 00:30:51,996 Speaker 1: think about it again. You can write about this situation, 539 00:30:52,476 --> 00:30:54,836 Speaker 1: but you have to write in a way that go 540 00:30:55,036 --> 00:30:58,956 Speaker 1: toward solution. My father said, you can't find everybody on 541 00:30:58,996 --> 00:31:02,436 Speaker 1: this planet. You don't have the power to as an artist, 542 00:31:02,516 --> 00:31:04,676 Speaker 1: as you've told because they told me that my musician, 543 00:31:04,716 --> 00:31:07,996 Speaker 1: the traditional musicians say it's a gift, and that gift 544 00:31:07,996 --> 00:31:10,996 Speaker 1: you use it to bring people together. So how do 545 00:31:11,036 --> 00:31:13,636 Speaker 1: you do that? So I went back and rewrite the 546 00:31:13,676 --> 00:31:16,236 Speaker 1: song and it become an anthem for peace. And then 547 00:31:16,236 --> 00:31:18,916 Speaker 1: he said, do you feel better now? As he yes that. 548 00:31:19,996 --> 00:31:22,356 Speaker 1: He said, as long as you understand the purpose of 549 00:31:22,396 --> 00:31:25,156 Speaker 1: what you're doing and why are you doing it, and 550 00:31:25,236 --> 00:31:27,596 Speaker 1: you understand that you are in a position where you 551 00:31:27,676 --> 00:31:30,476 Speaker 1: hold keys to open doors that are closed that I've 552 00:31:30,516 --> 00:31:34,036 Speaker 1: been closed forever through your voice for what you write, 553 00:31:35,516 --> 00:31:37,756 Speaker 1: then you can be an artist, the full artist that 554 00:31:37,836 --> 00:31:41,236 Speaker 1: we go into the world and work with everybody. It 555 00:31:41,236 --> 00:31:44,196 Speaker 1: stays with me. When you learned about South Africa, was 556 00:31:44,236 --> 00:31:48,876 Speaker 1: that when you started listening to another one of your heroes. 557 00:31:49,116 --> 00:31:51,476 Speaker 1: I was listening to her without knowing anything about it. 558 00:31:51,676 --> 00:31:54,636 Speaker 1: You didn't know this is Miriam mcabe. Yeah, I wanna 559 00:31:54,676 --> 00:31:57,796 Speaker 1: start listened to Miriam mcabbe. Was I was a little 560 00:31:57,836 --> 00:31:59,716 Speaker 1: The first song of Miriam mcabbe that I sang I 561 00:31:59,756 --> 00:32:03,996 Speaker 1: was eight years old, and it was the retreat song 562 00:32:04,596 --> 00:32:07,436 Speaker 1: that my mom and some of her friends have chosen 563 00:32:07,916 --> 00:32:11,556 Speaker 1: to march in the street asking for women's rights to 564 00:32:11,676 --> 00:32:16,956 Speaker 1: vote to this no more arranged marriage. Their body belongs 565 00:32:16,996 --> 00:32:19,956 Speaker 1: to all those those things we're talking about. They were 566 00:32:19,956 --> 00:32:22,636 Speaker 1: talking about it at that time in nineteen sixty eight. 567 00:32:23,036 --> 00:32:26,276 Speaker 1: My mom said, come. Her friends said, we can't sing. 568 00:32:26,476 --> 00:32:28,116 Speaker 1: You're the one. You one. They tell my mom, you're 569 00:32:28,156 --> 00:32:31,476 Speaker 1: only one that can't sing. We sing like, oh it's bad. 570 00:32:31,556 --> 00:32:33,916 Speaker 1: Bring on your little girl. She sings good. We're gonna 571 00:32:33,916 --> 00:32:36,076 Speaker 1: put on the front and she can sing and everything follow. 572 00:32:36,676 --> 00:32:40,756 Speaker 1: So I started singing that song that they use. They 573 00:32:40,836 --> 00:32:44,316 Speaker 1: use the music and they put the words of their 574 00:32:44,396 --> 00:32:48,956 Speaker 1: demands in fun. So I was singing that. I mean 575 00:32:49,116 --> 00:32:51,156 Speaker 1: I like it because I was on the supervision of 576 00:32:51,156 --> 00:32:52,756 Speaker 1: my mom. I was all doing my homework and I 577 00:32:52,836 --> 00:32:55,156 Speaker 1: was like having fun. And I didn't even know what 578 00:32:55,276 --> 00:32:58,156 Speaker 1: the power to message that I was singing it. At eight, 579 00:32:58,516 --> 00:33:01,796 Speaker 1: I was there among all those people singing. But never 580 00:33:01,876 --> 00:33:07,116 Speaker 1: thought of South Africa because it's not told. TV came 581 00:33:07,156 --> 00:33:11,996 Speaker 1: to being in very late early eighties, so none of 582 00:33:11,996 --> 00:33:14,836 Speaker 1: those information comes in. My father will listen to the 583 00:33:14,876 --> 00:33:17,436 Speaker 1: news on the radio. It's a different thing. That's seeing 584 00:33:17,516 --> 00:33:21,196 Speaker 1: images you hear from far and you don't pay attention 585 00:33:21,236 --> 00:33:24,196 Speaker 1: to it because when he's listening to news in the morning, 586 00:33:24,236 --> 00:33:26,076 Speaker 1: I'm running to get ready to go to school, so 587 00:33:26,076 --> 00:33:28,796 Speaker 1: I don't pay attention to what he's listening to. And 588 00:33:29,556 --> 00:33:34,596 Speaker 1: and it's it's really take its toll on me. How 589 00:33:35,276 --> 00:33:40,316 Speaker 1: do we manage to convince ourselves throughout centuries that harming 590 00:33:40,396 --> 00:33:43,956 Speaker 1: another person and profiting from it is good. We haven't 591 00:33:43,996 --> 00:33:47,956 Speaker 1: dealt with the scope of the damage, the damages of slavery. 592 00:33:48,196 --> 00:33:51,236 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter we concincolor you have because we're still 593 00:33:51,316 --> 00:33:54,196 Speaker 1: living the truma of it today. We'll be right back 594 00:33:54,236 --> 00:34:01,276 Speaker 1: in a moment with more from Angelique Keijo. We're back 595 00:34:01,316 --> 00:34:04,676 Speaker 1: with the rest of Bruce Heathlam's conversation with Angelique Keijo 596 00:34:05,316 --> 00:34:08,596 Speaker 1: and with politics eventually that made you have to leave 597 00:34:08,636 --> 00:34:11,236 Speaker 1: your country. You know, one of the things that interested 598 00:34:11,276 --> 00:34:13,636 Speaker 1: me so much on this new album is how many 599 00:34:13,676 --> 00:34:17,156 Speaker 1: young artists you work with and established artists too. You know, 600 00:34:17,156 --> 00:34:20,196 Speaker 1: you've got burned a boy on this sample. The grade 601 00:34:20,356 --> 00:34:24,476 Speaker 1: and different artists. They no longer have to leave Africa, 602 00:34:24,916 --> 00:34:28,396 Speaker 1: but you did in order to pursue your art and 603 00:34:28,436 --> 00:34:30,516 Speaker 1: do what you wanted to. But they have the technology 604 00:34:30,556 --> 00:34:32,636 Speaker 1: to stay. I didn't have that at that time. You 605 00:34:32,676 --> 00:34:35,036 Speaker 1: said your family couldn't talk politics anymore, that there was 606 00:34:35,396 --> 00:34:39,076 Speaker 1: I mean censorship, and there was fear. Well, the thing 607 00:34:39,196 --> 00:34:41,876 Speaker 1: is today, I when I listen to people talking about addictatorship, 608 00:34:41,876 --> 00:34:45,036 Speaker 1: I look at them outten myself. You don't even understand 609 00:34:45,116 --> 00:34:49,316 Speaker 1: what it is. You don't know what it is. But 610 00:34:49,476 --> 00:34:52,476 Speaker 1: what was it for you living in a home that 611 00:34:52,636 --> 00:34:55,876 Speaker 1: become a jail cell. Well, you don't trust anybody that 612 00:34:55,956 --> 00:34:58,356 Speaker 1: walked in and you always have to look over your 613 00:34:58,356 --> 00:35:00,876 Speaker 1: shoulder when you when I call your dad dad instead 614 00:35:00,876 --> 00:35:04,356 Speaker 1: of calling him comrade, he's my dad. Somebody coming in 615 00:35:04,356 --> 00:35:06,476 Speaker 1: and you're calling your father dad. You can't help in jail. 616 00:35:06,916 --> 00:35:09,596 Speaker 1: I mean people crazy. Mean you used to take to 617 00:35:09,756 --> 00:35:11,516 Speaker 1: get out of your house to do whatever you want 618 00:35:11,516 --> 00:35:13,516 Speaker 1: to do. You can't take your car and go anywhere 619 00:35:13,556 --> 00:35:17,556 Speaker 1: you are. Somebody can come anytime in your house and 620 00:35:17,636 --> 00:35:20,876 Speaker 1: check you out. The man are like something you say, 621 00:35:20,956 --> 00:35:22,716 Speaker 1: Well something where you put something, You end up in 622 00:35:22,796 --> 00:35:25,956 Speaker 1: jail and sometimes people disappear. And how did you get 623 00:35:25,956 --> 00:35:27,916 Speaker 1: out when you left? I mean it took a year 624 00:35:27,956 --> 00:35:33,596 Speaker 1: to for my parents to organize me living because you 625 00:35:33,636 --> 00:35:36,756 Speaker 1: don't trust anybody, so you got out. Really be careful. 626 00:35:37,396 --> 00:35:40,716 Speaker 1: No one knew I was living. My mom and dad 627 00:35:41,036 --> 00:35:44,036 Speaker 1: were witnessed at a wedding of one of our cousin 628 00:35:44,556 --> 00:35:46,916 Speaker 1: and they live not far from the airport. So we 629 00:35:47,036 --> 00:35:49,516 Speaker 1: make sure that everybody in the street where I grew 630 00:35:49,596 --> 00:35:52,076 Speaker 1: up knew about that wedding that we were gonna go 631 00:35:52,596 --> 00:35:56,556 Speaker 1: to that wedding. We played a game like that, addressed 632 00:35:57,036 --> 00:35:58,996 Speaker 1: like I was into the party. While in the car, 633 00:35:59,876 --> 00:36:02,276 Speaker 1: my father put the car home in the trunk. I 634 00:36:02,316 --> 00:36:05,156 Speaker 1: put all my stuff. So when my father and I 635 00:36:05,316 --> 00:36:07,996 Speaker 1: left after the dinner, because I took the flight that 636 00:36:08,116 --> 00:36:11,156 Speaker 1: was living at fifty five, I have to change my 637 00:36:11,236 --> 00:36:16,236 Speaker 1: clothes in the car of my dad and pray from 638 00:36:16,276 --> 00:36:18,236 Speaker 1: the women he dropped me. I was my hours on 639 00:36:18,276 --> 00:36:21,516 Speaker 1: my own. I was over twenty one, so if something happened, 640 00:36:21,516 --> 00:36:24,436 Speaker 1: I'll go to jail, not my parents. So I would 641 00:36:24,436 --> 00:36:27,116 Speaker 1: die to protect my parents. I won't say anything, but 642 00:36:27,156 --> 00:36:29,996 Speaker 1: I was lucky enough that the custom agent that I 643 00:36:30,036 --> 00:36:34,516 Speaker 1: saw was a friend of my brothers, and he just 644 00:36:34,916 --> 00:36:38,596 Speaker 1: asked me to just run, and I run. That's how 645 00:36:38,636 --> 00:36:42,036 Speaker 1: I left my country. You were already a pop star. Yeah, 646 00:36:42,036 --> 00:36:45,916 Speaker 1: that's why. That's why I couldn't say I was going 647 00:36:46,356 --> 00:36:49,796 Speaker 1: because I was already on the radar. Because when I 648 00:36:49,836 --> 00:36:51,916 Speaker 1: did my album, I didn't I didn't write any song 649 00:36:51,996 --> 00:36:55,796 Speaker 1: about the regime. I didn't write any song saying ready 650 00:36:55,836 --> 00:36:59,116 Speaker 1: for the revolution to fight country. I refused that. I said, 651 00:36:59,116 --> 00:37:01,676 Speaker 1: I'm not gonna say about an idology. My father had 652 00:37:01,676 --> 00:37:04,956 Speaker 1: taught me that don't use your music for any political 653 00:37:04,996 --> 00:37:06,516 Speaker 1: party because they come and they go. You want to 654 00:37:06,516 --> 00:37:08,836 Speaker 1: have a career, don't be linked to it. So then 655 00:37:09,156 --> 00:37:11,036 Speaker 1: went to Paris. You had to start all over again. 656 00:37:11,076 --> 00:37:14,076 Speaker 1: You went to school, you work. Oh that was much 657 00:37:14,116 --> 00:37:17,636 Speaker 1: more exciting than anything else you like. Oh yeah, I 658 00:37:17,636 --> 00:37:22,236 Speaker 1: mean what I love was that I realized that now 659 00:37:22,436 --> 00:37:25,596 Speaker 1: every decision that I made for myself can be a 660 00:37:25,596 --> 00:37:27,516 Speaker 1: good one or a bad one, and that I have 661 00:37:27,636 --> 00:37:31,316 Speaker 1: grown up. Now I'm an adult because ford my dad, 662 00:37:31,956 --> 00:37:34,236 Speaker 1: I have to pay a rent, I have to find food, 663 00:37:34,636 --> 00:37:37,436 Speaker 1: I have to work. I mean, the fact that I 664 00:37:37,516 --> 00:37:39,916 Speaker 1: have to start from scrush was really exciting for me. 665 00:37:40,476 --> 00:37:44,076 Speaker 1: Nobody knew me, nobody knows so for once I wanted 666 00:37:44,116 --> 00:37:46,076 Speaker 1: to be a backing singer. I couldn't do it. Because 667 00:37:46,116 --> 00:37:48,556 Speaker 1: I was a phone runner. Also, around this time in 668 00:37:49,076 --> 00:37:54,796 Speaker 1: Western music there were artists like Talking Heads and Peter 669 00:37:54,876 --> 00:37:58,076 Speaker 1: Gabriel and later Paul Simon, this was in the eighties 670 00:37:58,316 --> 00:38:02,756 Speaker 1: who started embracing a lot of African rhythms, African sounds. 671 00:38:03,396 --> 00:38:05,516 Speaker 1: You were not struggling in your career but working on 672 00:38:05,556 --> 00:38:08,196 Speaker 1: your career, and suddenly you hear these people come in 673 00:38:08,236 --> 00:38:10,516 Speaker 1: and start using these sounds. What did you think, Well, 674 00:38:10,556 --> 00:38:13,276 Speaker 1: the thing is, when I arrived in France, that's when 675 00:38:13,276 --> 00:38:16,716 Speaker 1: I discover all those things, like the Talking Heads. But 676 00:38:16,876 --> 00:38:19,596 Speaker 1: the thing was, I didn't know anything about the talking 677 00:38:19,636 --> 00:38:22,916 Speaker 1: Heads at all till I get to Paris and here 678 00:38:24,876 --> 00:38:28,116 Speaker 1: with a friend, we were at the students place, and 679 00:38:28,156 --> 00:38:31,676 Speaker 1: then they started playing the cassettes. When I arrived in 680 00:38:31,756 --> 00:38:35,236 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty three, I was in music junkie because I 681 00:38:35,276 --> 00:38:38,316 Speaker 1: have the feeling that the world the ten past years, 682 00:38:38,436 --> 00:38:42,356 Speaker 1: the world have just left me behind, and I wanted 683 00:38:42,396 --> 00:38:44,876 Speaker 1: to catch up so bad. And when I heard the 684 00:38:44,876 --> 00:38:47,516 Speaker 1: song once in a lifetime, I was so happy and 685 00:38:47,596 --> 00:38:50,556 Speaker 1: I was like dancing, And then of course you always 686 00:38:50,556 --> 00:38:53,596 Speaker 1: have some stupid racist person saying, what are you doing atally, 687 00:38:53,756 --> 00:38:58,036 Speaker 1: this is not African music. I'm like well, sorry for ignorance. 688 00:38:58,196 --> 00:39:00,756 Speaker 1: This is African music man, And he looked at me 689 00:39:00,756 --> 00:39:03,516 Speaker 1: and go no, I'm like, just get off my bag. 690 00:39:04,396 --> 00:39:08,596 Speaker 1: But let on, I realized all those things. But the 691 00:39:08,676 --> 00:39:12,196 Speaker 1: African rhythm have always been in every music. As I 692 00:39:12,236 --> 00:39:16,436 Speaker 1: said before, recognizing it or not recognizing it doesn't go 693 00:39:16,476 --> 00:39:19,996 Speaker 1: away because it's in your DNA. So later, of course 694 00:39:20,156 --> 00:39:24,196 Speaker 1: you covered the whole album remaining light. What made you 695 00:39:24,236 --> 00:39:27,116 Speaker 1: want to do that? Because here you are taking songs 696 00:39:27,196 --> 00:39:30,316 Speaker 1: that were written to African rhythms by these by this 697 00:39:30,476 --> 00:39:33,836 Speaker 1: band in New York. What made you want to do that? Well? 698 00:39:35,236 --> 00:39:38,276 Speaker 1: Two things. The first time I heard the song once 699 00:39:38,316 --> 00:39:41,756 Speaker 1: in a lifetime, I was seeing my period in France 700 00:39:41,796 --> 00:39:46,276 Speaker 1: where I will cry every day because of the ignorance 701 00:39:46,316 --> 00:39:48,516 Speaker 1: of people in the hate that I have to go through, 702 00:39:48,596 --> 00:39:54,356 Speaker 1: the racism stlure that goes on. The time I opened 703 00:39:54,396 --> 00:39:56,596 Speaker 1: my mouth to speak, why can't Why can't you speak? 704 00:39:56,596 --> 00:39:59,036 Speaker 1: From time you understand? We need an encyclopedia to understand you. 705 00:39:59,116 --> 00:40:01,796 Speaker 1: I'm like, but it's your language, That's what I learned 706 00:40:01,836 --> 00:40:03,276 Speaker 1: in school. What do you want me to speak? What 707 00:40:04,236 --> 00:40:07,876 Speaker 1: to pay a tribute to that song? That that day 708 00:40:08,036 --> 00:40:11,476 Speaker 1: with all those students around me when we were ready 709 00:40:11,476 --> 00:40:13,596 Speaker 1: in the fridge of one of them, because he invalied 710 00:40:13,636 --> 00:40:17,476 Speaker 1: all of us to see so many young kids so 711 00:40:17,716 --> 00:40:22,156 Speaker 1: ignorant about about the culture. And that song like that 712 00:40:22,396 --> 00:40:25,436 Speaker 1: that day when I listened to it, it brings it 713 00:40:25,476 --> 00:40:28,796 Speaker 1: brings miles to my face, and it made my day. 714 00:40:29,196 --> 00:40:32,436 Speaker 1: So I've been looking for because on the cassette there's 715 00:40:32,436 --> 00:40:35,076 Speaker 1: no name you. I look everywhere to find the name 716 00:40:35,116 --> 00:40:37,076 Speaker 1: of this. I didn't know it. Oh you didn't know. No, 717 00:40:37,956 --> 00:40:40,836 Speaker 1: I didn't know because cassette, I mean students were doing cassete. 718 00:40:40,836 --> 00:40:42,356 Speaker 1: They would let the stuff they put on the cassete, 719 00:40:42,356 --> 00:40:45,796 Speaker 1: they don't put the title of the stuff. So from 720 00:40:45,796 --> 00:40:48,636 Speaker 1: time to time, the melody you come back to me 721 00:40:49,396 --> 00:40:54,956 Speaker 1: m mmmmmmmmm. And that's that's the only thing that I 722 00:40:55,036 --> 00:40:59,596 Speaker 1: remember till I start talking to my friend of mine, 723 00:40:59,676 --> 00:41:05,076 Speaker 1: Danny Capillion, my husband management, and I was like, there's 724 00:41:05,076 --> 00:41:07,156 Speaker 1: a song. I mean, I don't know where it comes from, 725 00:41:07,156 --> 00:41:10,156 Speaker 1: but I love to listen to it. And said, I said, 726 00:41:10,156 --> 00:41:13,076 Speaker 1: I don't know the title. I just remember the melody 727 00:41:13,076 --> 00:41:19,196 Speaker 1: goes mmmmmmmmmmmmm. And then they go, what that's once in 728 00:41:19,196 --> 00:41:22,796 Speaker 1: the left, And I said what? And I listened to 729 00:41:22,796 --> 00:41:25,276 Speaker 1: it I said, I have to cover this album. They're 730 00:41:25,316 --> 00:41:28,356 Speaker 1: gonna actually let you joking, right, I said to my husband, 731 00:41:28,436 --> 00:41:31,196 Speaker 1: let's get to the studio. There are a couple of 732 00:41:31,236 --> 00:41:34,316 Speaker 1: songs that we record with the traditional women when we 733 00:41:34,356 --> 00:41:38,836 Speaker 1: were recording because for me, bonn on the Punches when 734 00:41:38,836 --> 00:41:41,956 Speaker 1: I was I would listen to it. I'm like, this 735 00:41:42,196 --> 00:41:47,676 Speaker 1: is talking about corruption for me. Corruption. Imagine the amount 736 00:41:47,716 --> 00:41:57,436 Speaker 1: of money that corruption take away from investing in education, roads, health. 737 00:41:58,276 --> 00:42:01,316 Speaker 1: And that's what you were hearing and in remaining life. 738 00:42:01,516 --> 00:42:04,436 Speaker 1: That's why I started, when I started with the world 739 00:42:04,476 --> 00:42:11,756 Speaker 1: that I started started is z we oh z zoya daza, 740 00:42:11,836 --> 00:42:15,836 Speaker 1: which mean when you start a fire and you don't 741 00:42:15,836 --> 00:42:20,276 Speaker 1: know how to stop it, the fire gonna eat everything 742 00:42:20,436 --> 00:42:24,196 Speaker 1: up and even you to start the fight. And that's 743 00:42:24,236 --> 00:42:27,036 Speaker 1: what corruption is doing to our system. When you finally 744 00:42:27,076 --> 00:42:29,436 Speaker 1: met David Byrne after you recorded it, did you talk 745 00:42:29,516 --> 00:42:33,156 Speaker 1: to him about how you interpreted his album? Yeah, he 746 00:42:33,236 --> 00:42:37,196 Speaker 1: knows I told him that about it. Yeah, you're like, well, okay, 747 00:42:37,236 --> 00:42:39,556 Speaker 1: I do have a request, but could you just say 748 00:42:39,716 --> 00:42:42,916 Speaker 1: one line when you sing the shotgun shot line? Yeah? 749 00:42:42,996 --> 00:42:44,716 Speaker 1: Could you just say that for me? And you may 750 00:42:44,836 --> 00:42:48,236 Speaker 1: find yourself living in a shotgun shock, And you may 751 00:42:48,356 --> 00:42:51,556 Speaker 1: find yourself in another part of the world, and you 752 00:42:51,676 --> 00:42:55,076 Speaker 1: may find yourself behind the wheel of a logo to mobile, 753 00:42:55,476 --> 00:42:58,156 Speaker 1: and you may find yourself in a beautiful house with 754 00:42:58,316 --> 00:43:02,116 Speaker 1: a beautiful wife, and you may ask yourself, well, how 755 00:43:02,196 --> 00:43:05,316 Speaker 1: did I get here? Let him do days go by? 756 00:43:06,516 --> 00:43:09,396 Speaker 1: That is so fabulous. Oh, you just made my day, 757 00:43:11,436 --> 00:43:15,036 Speaker 1: So you know you did. You started putting out albums 758 00:43:15,236 --> 00:43:18,716 Speaker 1: and then you did your big album which was Legozo. 759 00:43:18,956 --> 00:43:21,196 Speaker 1: Did that have Batongo on? It was that on that 760 00:43:22,556 --> 00:43:24,196 Speaker 1: and it was it was your first album for Chris 761 00:43:24,396 --> 00:43:28,036 Speaker 1: Blackwell in Island, and it was produced by the Think 762 00:43:29,116 --> 00:43:32,676 Speaker 1: the drummer for Miami, Sam Michies exactly, and a lot 763 00:43:32,756 --> 00:43:36,276 Speaker 1: of people, if they don't remember all the songs, remember 764 00:43:36,316 --> 00:43:40,436 Speaker 1: the album cover. Yes, because you in that strike kind 765 00:43:40,516 --> 00:43:42,876 Speaker 1: of look you look like, kind of like the world's 766 00:43:42,876 --> 00:43:47,916 Speaker 1: coolest superhero at that point. Well, you know that album. 767 00:43:47,996 --> 00:43:51,596 Speaker 1: I called it Logoso, which mean tortoys. For me, it 768 00:43:51,956 --> 00:43:56,316 Speaker 1: was my experience when I arrive in France. The Westerner 769 00:43:56,396 --> 00:43:59,996 Speaker 1: were looking at for me, My image of them is tortoys. 770 00:44:00,316 --> 00:44:02,756 Speaker 1: They're all going around by business. Something happened. Nobody want 771 00:44:02,756 --> 00:44:04,556 Speaker 1: to be involved to come back in the show. So 772 00:44:04,796 --> 00:44:08,316 Speaker 1: that's why you have the three The logo I put 773 00:44:08,436 --> 00:44:14,396 Speaker 1: is here, And is that how you felt like a tortoise? 774 00:44:14,556 --> 00:44:17,836 Speaker 1: I was living in a tortural society because nobody just 775 00:44:18,116 --> 00:44:20,476 Speaker 1: cared about you unless they want to give you some 776 00:44:21,996 --> 00:44:27,556 Speaker 1: racist comment. And that zebra suit was really interesting because 777 00:44:28,356 --> 00:44:31,196 Speaker 1: I just didn't want somebody to put me in the 778 00:44:31,316 --> 00:44:34,036 Speaker 1: outfit that the thing is okay for an African person, 779 00:44:34,476 --> 00:44:37,676 Speaker 1: because I've heard that all the time. Well, African people, 780 00:44:38,396 --> 00:44:40,636 Speaker 1: they work around with their breast naked. Why don't you 781 00:44:40,716 --> 00:44:44,236 Speaker 1: do that? I'm like, really, I live what jeans in 782 00:44:44,356 --> 00:44:47,916 Speaker 1: BENI I grew up wearing versus modernity. I never wear 783 00:44:47,956 --> 00:44:50,436 Speaker 1: aune and I'll never walk around with my TV up out. 784 00:44:50,476 --> 00:44:53,356 Speaker 1: So I went out and bought my own stuff. I 785 00:44:53,516 --> 00:44:55,796 Speaker 1: bought my chump suit, and I'm not wearing it. You 786 00:44:55,876 --> 00:44:57,916 Speaker 1: don't like it or not, that's the way it's gonna go. Man. 787 00:44:58,476 --> 00:45:02,796 Speaker 1: And you became friends with Miriam later. Yeah, she did 788 00:45:02,916 --> 00:45:06,156 Speaker 1: not like the phrase. She didn't like the box she 789 00:45:06,316 --> 00:45:09,956 Speaker 1: was put in, which was world music. You have want 790 00:45:09,996 --> 00:45:12,276 Speaker 1: a lot of the World Music Grammys. Do you feel 791 00:45:12,276 --> 00:45:15,196 Speaker 1: it just puts you in a kind of disadvantage. Yeah, 792 00:45:15,236 --> 00:45:19,396 Speaker 1: the thing is when we're talking about our music in general, 793 00:45:20,276 --> 00:45:24,796 Speaker 1: and we call music pop this and that, and we 794 00:45:24,916 --> 00:45:27,636 Speaker 1: want if we just forgot that the blues will not 795 00:45:27,756 --> 00:45:30,516 Speaker 1: exist without the slaves here and from the blues, how 796 00:45:30,596 --> 00:45:32,796 Speaker 1: many forms of music come from the blues? Tell me 797 00:45:33,236 --> 00:45:39,676 Speaker 1: all of it? So why should African artists, let alone, 798 00:45:39,756 --> 00:45:41,756 Speaker 1: or the artists that are not speaking English or French 799 00:45:41,876 --> 00:45:44,236 Speaker 1: or Portuguese or whatever it is, have to have a 800 00:45:44,316 --> 00:45:48,476 Speaker 1: category that is kind of a ghetto category. I mean, 801 00:45:48,676 --> 00:45:52,236 Speaker 1: we want we want everybody to be music, to be 802 00:45:53,516 --> 00:45:56,636 Speaker 1: set telling the truth or not, because when it comes 803 00:45:56,676 --> 00:45:59,596 Speaker 1: to music, there's no genre for me. As long as 804 00:45:59,676 --> 00:46:02,396 Speaker 1: you can speak the music, language doesn't matter what you 805 00:46:02,476 --> 00:46:05,396 Speaker 1: do as a music We are the one that put 806 00:46:05,996 --> 00:46:09,996 Speaker 1: artagory on music. So we like to divide things. We 807 00:46:10,156 --> 00:46:12,036 Speaker 1: like to put things in category to be able to 808 00:46:12,116 --> 00:46:14,636 Speaker 1: leave our set with ourselves because we don't want to 809 00:46:14,716 --> 00:46:18,396 Speaker 1: even face our own complexity. A human being is not simple. 810 00:46:18,796 --> 00:46:22,076 Speaker 1: In your autobiography you talk about this. It is so 811 00:46:22,276 --> 00:46:26,956 Speaker 1: fascinating that the music you grew up with, you know, 812 00:46:27,036 --> 00:46:30,756 Speaker 1: which was voice and rhythm, was split up by slavery, 813 00:46:31,196 --> 00:46:34,316 Speaker 1: which is why the blues came out of North America. 814 00:46:34,356 --> 00:46:37,956 Speaker 1: Because the American slavers, they took away the drums. Yes, indeed, 815 00:46:38,236 --> 00:46:42,876 Speaker 1: the ignorance make them believe that with the drum from 816 00:46:42,956 --> 00:46:45,716 Speaker 1: cotton field to cotton field, they can slaves can come 817 00:46:45,796 --> 00:46:48,276 Speaker 1: quicker when they can speak through the drum, because for 818 00:46:48,316 --> 00:46:51,156 Speaker 1: a long time, drums has been the medium that was 819 00:46:51,276 --> 00:46:54,396 Speaker 1: used by the king to rally the people. What interested 820 00:46:54,396 --> 00:46:56,836 Speaker 1: in musically is, of course, what happened with the blues 821 00:46:57,076 --> 00:47:00,956 Speaker 1: is it's a it's a West African scale. Yeah, absolutely, 822 00:47:01,156 --> 00:47:03,836 Speaker 1: it's a five notes or six five notes scale. And 823 00:47:03,916 --> 00:47:06,476 Speaker 1: when you were first you met your husband Jehan in 824 00:47:07,276 --> 00:47:10,236 Speaker 1: Paris jazz school. In the jazz school, you started working together. 825 00:47:10,636 --> 00:47:16,116 Speaker 1: You were singing traditional songs, traditional melody lines, and he 826 00:47:16,316 --> 00:47:18,716 Speaker 1: was sitting at the piano trying to sort of figure 827 00:47:18,756 --> 00:47:21,876 Speaker 1: out how to put harmonies underneath it. Yeah, what was 828 00:47:21,916 --> 00:47:25,196 Speaker 1: that exercise? Like? It was great because we come up 829 00:47:25,236 --> 00:47:27,196 Speaker 1: with our own ammunization. That is kind of a little 830 00:47:27,356 --> 00:47:30,636 Speaker 1: weird because I would ammonize and then you go, I 831 00:47:30,636 --> 00:47:33,036 Speaker 1: didn't hear that, and then you go, can you put 832 00:47:33,076 --> 00:47:36,356 Speaker 1: it here like this? I'm like, yeah, let's right. And 833 00:47:36,476 --> 00:47:38,796 Speaker 1: it was never shy to try anything as long as 834 00:47:38,836 --> 00:47:43,196 Speaker 1: it serves the song. So it was easy. I would 835 00:47:43,196 --> 00:47:46,556 Speaker 1: say easy because he knows the blues. He was in 836 00:47:46,636 --> 00:47:49,156 Speaker 1: a jazz school. He has master degree in philosophy, but 837 00:47:49,316 --> 00:47:51,116 Speaker 1: he has listened to a lot of blues. It was 838 00:47:51,196 --> 00:47:55,156 Speaker 1: easy for us to start a communication in the musical 839 00:47:55,316 --> 00:47:59,756 Speaker 1: language from that blues. Actually that comes. I mean, there 840 00:47:59,796 --> 00:48:02,556 Speaker 1: are songs in my village, in my family. When they 841 00:48:02,596 --> 00:48:05,436 Speaker 1: starts singing it, you just want to cry your heart out. 842 00:48:05,876 --> 00:48:09,036 Speaker 1: Can you just give me one of those melodies? There's 843 00:48:09,236 --> 00:48:12,196 Speaker 1: one of them that I really um, that really touches me. 844 00:48:12,396 --> 00:48:16,556 Speaker 1: Is this one. I'm gonna Ammy Wilo, I got damn 845 00:48:16,636 --> 00:48:20,956 Speaker 1: in jail a quay, I'm gonna Amy Wailo, I got 846 00:48:21,116 --> 00:48:27,956 Speaker 1: damn in jail o quae Coca Nada. Yeah, name, I'm 847 00:48:27,956 --> 00:48:35,396 Speaker 1: gonna amy, I got damn in jail oqua Cooca nada. Yeah. 848 00:48:38,236 --> 00:48:41,836 Speaker 1: That song is spite time I sing it's just and 849 00:48:42,076 --> 00:48:48,756 Speaker 1: what's that song? What's it song? For sure, it's talking 850 00:48:48,796 --> 00:48:54,676 Speaker 1: about vulnerability in the face of death. There's nothing we 851 00:48:54,716 --> 00:48:58,196 Speaker 1: can do when death come knocking, and he's talking about 852 00:48:58,476 --> 00:49:01,996 Speaker 1: what have you done so wrong that every year death 853 00:49:02,076 --> 00:49:06,076 Speaker 1: come back come by and take its too, take the 854 00:49:06,196 --> 00:49:08,876 Speaker 1: good or the bad, and mostly take the good people. 855 00:49:10,476 --> 00:49:13,876 Speaker 1: How do we can we leave? We've dev always not 856 00:49:13,956 --> 00:49:17,276 Speaker 1: giving us a chance to breathe. Wow, that seems like 857 00:49:18,196 --> 00:49:21,756 Speaker 1: a great song for the last year. Thank you so much, 858 00:49:22,196 --> 00:49:25,436 Speaker 1: Thank you for doing this. It's just been a huge treat. 859 00:49:25,676 --> 00:49:31,356 Speaker 1: Thank you. Thank you to Angelique Kijo for talking through 860 00:49:31,396 --> 00:49:33,956 Speaker 1: our history and career with us. You can hear a 861 00:49:34,036 --> 00:49:37,556 Speaker 1: new album, Mother Nature along with our favorite Angeli Kijo 862 00:49:37,676 --> 00:49:41,236 Speaker 1: songs at broken Record podcast dot com. Be sure to 863 00:49:41,276 --> 00:49:44,436 Speaker 1: subscribe to our YouTube channel at YouTube dot com slash 864 00:49:44,516 --> 00:49:47,436 Speaker 1: Broken Record Podcast, where we can find all of our 865 00:49:47,516 --> 00:49:51,196 Speaker 1: new episodes. You can follow us on Twitter at broken Record. 866 00:49:51,876 --> 00:49:55,516 Speaker 1: Broken Record is produced with help from Lea Rose, Jason Gambrel, 867 00:49:55,876 --> 00:50:01,036 Speaker 1: Martin Gonzalez, Eric Sandler, and Jennifer Sanchez, with engineering help 868 00:50:01,076 --> 00:50:05,916 Speaker 1: from Nick Chafee. Our executive producer is Miolbell. Broken Record 869 00:50:06,036 --> 00:50:08,796 Speaker 1: is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you love this 870 00:50:08,836 --> 00:50:13,076 Speaker 1: show and others from Pushkin Industries, consider subscribing to Pushkin Plus. 871 00:50:14,036 --> 00:50:17,636 Speaker 1: Pushkin Plus is a podcast subscription that offers bonus content 872 00:50:18,116 --> 00:50:21,436 Speaker 1: an uninterrupted ad free listening for four ninety nine a month. 873 00:50:21,956 --> 00:50:25,676 Speaker 1: Look for Pushkin Plus on Apple podcast subscriptions. Please remember 874 00:50:25,756 --> 00:50:27,596 Speaker 1: to share rate and review us on your podcast. App 875 00:50:27,836 --> 00:50:30,436 Speaker 1: Our theme musics by Kenny Beats on Just Much