Angelique Kidjo and Davido Thrill With Positivity on “JOY”
The legendary Beninese French singer creates a feel-good classic with a famous Nigerian guest.
Angelique Kidjo continues to grow beautifully into her legacy. From creating timeless music and performing them at the grandest stages around the world, she’s now giving back to the African music community, increasingly collaborating with younger artists who are putting Afrobeats on the global map. On her latest record titled “JOY,” she works alongside one of the most popular of them all: the Nigerian superstar Davido.
The second time both artists are creating music together, they first collaborated on “NA MONEY,” the rootsy highlife-influenced record from Timeless, the 2023 album from Davido. As heard there, both artists possess a fizzling energy that are in perfect complement with each other, sparking off a bounce-along energy that feels at-home in the distinct capabilities of both musicians.
On “JOY,” that energy is much present. Produced by Shizzi, who’s influenced the upbeat Davido sound more than any other beatmaker, bright notes permeate the background of the composition. Those notes charge the melancholic and lifting effect of the sound, even though the foreground shines off its percussive vibrance.
The production inspires memorable performances from both acts. Starting off the record, Kidjo sounds every bit as inspired as the lyrics she sings. Her signature effervescence is on colorful showcase, spurring her to sing about looking on the bright side of life, regardless of circumstances or events that seek to take one’s joy away. “I found the power, the brand new day,” she sings with unalloyed conviction, just before the familiar husk of Davido comes in.
Interchanging between their verses, picking off the words and intent, “JOY” comes across as a close collaboration, one where the artists really had to be at the same creative space to create. It also realizes Davido as an increasingly-favored collaborator for the iconic Kidjo, who also has several collaborations with two other Nigerian acts, Yemi Aladeand Burna Boy.
“JOY” becomes the second single from Angelique Kidjo this year, following up from the star-studded brilliance of “Sunlight To My Soul,” which featured the great American songwriter Diane Warren and the Soweto Gospel Choir. Across that record and this, one hears a relentlessly inventive Kidjo, further reaching into her bag of musical skills to keep touching the lives of her immense global audience.
Liste to "JOY" below: