Angelique Kidjo to perform Talking Heads in London

She'll be performing 'Remain In Light' in full.

Grammy Award winning African singer Angelique Kidjo will be bringing the music of Talking Heads to the Royal Festival Hall on the Friday 8 June 2018.

Born in Benin and now based in New York, Kidjo will be singing the entire of Talking Heads’ Remain In Light in her distinctive authentic style. The fourth album by the American new wave band, Remain In Light was released in 1980 and featured songs Once In A Lifetime and Houses In Motion.

Speaking of her stateside performance of the record, that took place at New York’s Carnegie Hall last year, Talking Heads vocalist David Byrne declares his excitement.

“What can I say? It’s incredibly flattering,” he explains. “We have shared a stage together in the past, but I had NOTHING to do with her decision to do this. It comes as a complete surprise. Phish has memorably covered this record in the past, but Angélique’s cover has a special meaning as the record (and some others from that period) was very much inspired by African pop music.

“As musicians we aimed to learn from the ecstatic embedded in the structure and attitude of African pop rather than trying to copy their specific sounds. Much of the music we were listening to at the time came from Yoruba culture—which ranges across Ghana, Benin and Nigeria. That culture has had a huge influence on all American culture, north and south, for 200 years or so. Our dance, food, humor, dress, poetry and of course our music—our massive cultural contribution to the world—is very much African influenced.

“Anyway, this is what musicians and artists do, stuff gets tossed back and forth. This should be exciting! Angelique is an incredible performer… what a surprise.”

Blending sounds from her native Africa and elements of jazz, Angelique Kidjo will sing the songs of Talking Heads at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Friday 8 June 2018.

To celebrate, Kidjo has pulled together a playlist of songs taken from the record, and which have influenced, or been influenced by its legacy.