Photo: @bighassleken
Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo performed Talking Heads’ 1980 record Remain In Light in full at New York City’s Carnegie Hall last night, and was joined by a special guest.
David Byrne joined the singer on stage to contribute vocals to “Once In A Lifetime,” and video has surfaced of the performance.
After a false start, the song goes takes off with force, the two trading vocals and dancing together over a more traditional afrobeat backing from a massive, 15-piece backing band.
Kidjo spoke to Playbill about the influence that Remain In Light had on her earlier this month, saying:
“In 1988, Talking heads had recorded an album with some of my African friends from Paris. At that time, I discovered their music and fell in love with the Remain In Light album. Brian Eno and Talking Heads understood the magical power of African music, but instead of trying to clone it, they created their own style based on the hypnotic rhythm patters of Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat. The cryptic lyrics were also resonating with me. Somehow I Felt I was hearing, in a strange wway, social commentaries on the state of my continent.”
David Byrne was not listed on the evening’s program, so the performance may have impromptu.
Watch the video and see the program below.
