Angélique Kidjo’s Curious, Inclusive Music

With a nearly four-decade career, Angélique Kidjo is a towering figure of cross-cultural music. Her work, which extends from Afrobeat and jazz to Afro-pop and world fusion, grows only more inclusive and curious with time. On her new album, “Mother Nature,” created during the pandemic, she teams up with younger pop stars from West Africa and the African diaspora—Burna Boy, Mr. Eazi, EarthGang, Sampa the Great—to promote messages of unity and healing, unpacking complex realities with cheer and aplomb.