In her speech, Kidjo made sure to first highlight the young African musicians who collaborated with her on Mother Nature — including Yemi Alade, Burna Boy, Mr Eazi, and Shungudzo — that she said “are going to take the world by storm.” After thanking the fans who listened “when we needed you,” she closed with a powerful statement: “We are all Africans.”
Kidjo beat out fellow nominees Rocky Dawuni (Voice Of Bunbon, Vol. 1), Daniel Ho & Friends (East West Players Presents: Daniel Ho & Friends Live In Concert), Femi Kuti And Made Kuti (Legacy +) and WizKid (Made In Lagos: Deluxe Edition)
“Mother Nature” is a follow-up from her 2019 Grammy Award-winning album Celia. The highly collaborative album is the Beninese singer’s reckoning with both climate change and her own legacy. Collaborating with younger artists and multiple producers, Kidjo created a body of work that’s cohesive and upbeat, even though the subject matter is sometimes grave—the result of giving her collaborators freedom and space to be themselves.
