Angélique Kidjo teams up with Ayra Starr on new single ahead of album

The track, released alongside an official music video, brings together the two artists in a collaboration that reflects shared musical influences and backgrounds. The video is set in a recording studio environment and centres on a performance-driven concept.

Aye Kan is expected to appear on HOPE!!, Kidjo’s upcoming album scheduled for release on 24 April. The project follows her 2021 album Mother Nature, which won a Grammy Award. According to information released with the single, the new album will feature multiple international collaborators, including Pharrell Williams, Quavo, Davido and Nile Rodgers.

The collaboration between Kidjo and Ayra Starr developed over several years. Starr said Kidjo’s Grammy win had influenced her ambitions early on. “Angélique Kidjo winning in 2008 was so important for me to see… She’s from Benin Republic, which is where I was born, so it made me believe I could do the same thing one day,” she said.

Kidjo said she initiated the collaboration after discovering Starr’s music. “I discovered Ayra Starr first through her music… Later, I sent her a DM saying I’d love to work with her,” she said.

The album HOPE!! is described as a 16-track project dedicated to Kidjo’s late mother. It includes contributions from a range of artists across genres, as well as production from several international producers.

Reflecting on the themes of the album, Kidjo said: “Sometimes it feels as though the world is losing hope at such a rapid pace that it’s endangering our humanity. With all the music that I create, I want to show that anything and everything is possible… we are all deeply connected.”

The release of ‘Aye Kan’ forms part of the promotional campaign leading up to the album’s launch next month.