Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo launches headlining trek

Fresh off her first Grammy win, world music songstress Angelique Kidjo is getting ready to hit the road for headlining tours of North America and Europe.

The African-born singer will kick things off Feb. 21 in Seattle and play cities all over the US, as well as a couple of Canadian provinces, through April 9. She will immediately segue into her European jaunt, which runs into late May. North American dates are listed below and overseas shows can be found at Kidjo's website.

Last Sunday, the singer won the Best Contemporary World Album Grammy for her latest release, "Djin Djin." In her acceptance speech, she dedicated the award to the "women of Darfur, the women who are fighting every day to give their kids an education."

"Djin Djin," which surfaced in May, has Kidjo partnering with guest stars including Alicia Keys, Peter Gabriel, Carlos Santana, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Branford Marsalis and Josh Groban, with whom she toured last year. The critically acclaimed set, produced by Tony Visconti (David Bowie, Morrissey), reached No. 58 on The Billboard 200 and nabbed the top spot on the magazine's World Albums chart.

The record follows 2004's "Oyaya!" and is billed as a return to Kidjo's Beninese roots, capturing the most traditional rhythms from her country. It comprises material sung in her native languages as well as in English and French. A couple of songs from the set are streaming at Kidjo's MySpace page.

In addition to her music career, Kidjo has devoted much of her adult life to global charity work, according to a press release. She is a spokesperson for UNICEF and Oxfam, and recently created her own charity, Batonga, which aims to create a culture that values and supports the secondary education of girls in Africa.

[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
 tour dates and tickets
February 2008
21 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
22 - Olympia, WA - Washington Center for the Performing Arts
23 - Victoria, British Columbia - University Centre Auditorium
24 - Richmond, British Columbia - River Rock Casino
28 - Dallas, TX - McFarlin Memorial Auditorium

March 2008
1 - Atlanta, GA - Rialto Theatre at Georgia State University
2 - Memphis, TN - Buckman Performing Arts Center
6 - Iowa City, IA - Hancher Auditorium
8 - Tucson, AZ - Centennial Hall
12 - Los Angeles, CA - Royce Hall at UCLA Center for the Arts
13 - Carmel, CA - Sunset Cultural Center
14 - Berkeley, CA - Zellerbach Auditorium at UC Berkeley
15 - Chico, CA - Laxson Auditorium
17 - Edmonton, Alberta - Francis Winspear Centre for Music
19 - Calgary, Alberta - Jack Singer Concert Hall
21-22 - Somerville, MA - Somerville Theater
26 - North Bethesda, MD - Music Center at Strathmore
27 - Roanoke, VA - Shaftman Performance Hall at Jefferson
28 - Richmond, VA - Camp Concert Hall at University of Richmond
29 - Savannah, GA - Trustees Theater
31 - Annapolis, MD - Ramshead Onstage

April 2008
2 - South Orange, NJ - South Orange Performing Arts Center
3 - Ithaca, NY - State Theatre
4 - Purchase, NY - PepsiCo Theatre
5 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts
6 - Philadelphia , PA - Annenberg Center/Zellerbach Theater
8 - Raleigh, NC - Stewart Theater at NC State University
9 - Wilmington, NC - Kenan Auditorium at UNC Wilmington

 tour dates and tickets
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