- Jean Hébrail is a professional producer and songwriter whose fame is closely linked to being the husband of one of Africa’s finest musicians Angélique Kidjo
- He has won the Grammy awards as a producer of his wife’s 2015 music album Sings, likewise, his wife has won the grammy 5 times
- Hébrail alongside Angélique are also activists committed to mentoring adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa through their foundation called Botanga foundation
Jean Hébrail is a French Musician, producer, and composer better-known as husband to Angélique Kidjo; a popular singer activist and songwriter who came to the limelight in the early 80s. The like-passion couple tied the knot in 1987 after discovering that blending music and love could sustain their friendship for life.
Hébrail has been praised to be a guru in producing afrobeat, Afropop, reggae, jazz, and a lot of other forms of music fusion. Moreso he has notably produced soundtracks for several movies like Blended and Blood Diamond.
Early Life and Background of Jean Hébrail
Though Jean Hébrail is fairly known as a musician and husband to Kidjo, there is very little that is known about his own personal life apart from the fact that he is from France. However, his wife Angélique Kidjo was born on the 14th of July 1960 in Quidah, French Dahomey which is now Benin.
She was born into a family of musicians and started singing at the tender age of 6. Her first international album was released in 1989 after she moved to settle in France. She Titled it Parakou. Her other works include Logozo, Aye, Fifa, and lots more. She is currently 64 years old.
Jean Hébrail and Angélique Kidjo Are Still Together
Angélique and Jean first met in a Paris jazz school called Centre d’informations musicales (CIM) where Kidjo was a student and her husband a producer. They both worked together and later decided to build a future beyond the boundaries of music, getting married in 1987.
It is no longer news that most celebrity couples find it difficult to stay married due to one controversy or the other. Yet, despite their fame and success, Jean and Kidjo’s interracial union has remained a classic example to not only celebrities but also to a world that is marred by socio-cultural and ethnoreligious sentiments. The duo have defied barriers in skin color and variations in geographical origin and have remained married for over thirty years.
His Only Child is an Actress
Naima Hebrail Kidjo was born on the 29th of March 1993 about 6 years after her parents walked down the aisle together.
A year prior to Naima’s birth, Hebrail’s wife Kidjo performed at the Olympia Hall in Paris and subsequently had her album Logozo one of the greatest dance albums of all time. Also, a year after the birth of Naima, her mother released one of her most notable albums, Ayé (1994).
The album that features a song such as Agolo ended up winning Kidjo her first Grammy nomination that would lead to other nominations alongside 5 wins and perhaps still counting.
Nonetheless, Naima has not necessarily chosen the path of her parents in singing professionally, writing songs, or productions like her father. Instead, she is better known as a professional voice-over craftsman and an actress who has featured in movies like Chicago Med and Institution.
Jean Hébrail Assists His Wife in Composing Her Songs
Jean may not always be on the frontline as far as ‘music performance’ is perceived but he has been always been beside his wife helping her through every inch with songwriting, sequencing, and even production.
His banner has been lifted to present him as one of the most greatest and influential composers of all time; having mastered the art of composing and blending different genres of music which usually come forth with a unique taste and flavor.
He has professionally interwoven Angélique Kidjo’s west African sounds into other foreign classical and narrative tunes giving it an original, exceptional, and phenomenal output. Below is a list of Angélique Kidjo’s collaborative albums with her husband Jean Hébrail
- Parakou (1989)
- Logozo (1992)
- Aye (1994)
- Fifa (1995)
- Trilogy (1998)
- Oremi (1998)
- Black Ivory Soul (2000)
- Oyaya -(2004)
- Djin Djin (2007)
- Oyo (2010)
- Spirit Rising (2012)
- Eve (2014)
- Angélique Kidjo Sings with the Orchestre Philharmonique Du Luxembourg (2015)
- Celia (2019)
- Mother Nature (2021)
Jean Hébrail’s collaborative album with his wife Sings (2015) enabled him to clinch the Grammy as the producer of the work. This will not be the first time his works are getting accolades on the grammy floor, only that other times, his wife used to take on the honor as the performing artist.
Kidjo’s works are not the only songs the producer has worked on. He has produced songs for some popular award-winning films including Blended (2014) and Blood Diamond (2006).
His Wife Has won 5 Grammys
Angélique has bagged the Grammy awards 5 times with the latest being in April 2022 courtesy her album Mother Nature. The album featured previous Grammy winner Burna Boy. Others are Yemi Alade, Mr. Eazi, and Sampa Shungudzo. The other works that lifted her to the stage include Eve (2014) and Djin Djin (2007).
The singer has about 16 albums to her credit and has in 2015 won the Crystal Award given by the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. She further clinched the 2016 Amnesty international Ambassador Conscience Award among many others.
She Has Multiple International Recognitions
Angélique was named by the BBC as one of Africa’s 50 most iconic figures. She also made it to the top 100 most inspiring women in the world. She has become so influential that she is referred to as ‘Africa’s Premier Diva’ by Time magazine.
Worthy of note also is that the music star was part of the artists that performed at the opening of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. Kidjo was further included in the exhibits at the National Museum of African American History which was opened in 2016.
Among many other dozens of honors, Angélique was on May 11 2011 recognized by Antonin Baudry, the Cultural Counselor of the Embassy of France who conferred upon her the insignia of the officer of the order of Arts and Letters for her musicianship, dedication to humanitarian causes, and efforts to further the arts in France and the world.
Jean Hébrail Works Towards Establishing African Girls
Away from Music, the French-born also invests his energy and time in ensuring that children the world over receive a proper education. Jean believes that without education neither the child nor a nation has a future.
Similarly, his wife is also an activist who pushes for freedom, dignity, and fundamental human rights. In 2006, she and her husband established a foundation called Botanga foundation. The couple with their partners use the platform to mentor adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa to be able to acquire the requisite knowledge of living healthy, being financially independent, and possessing life-transforming skills.
They also aim to provide African girls with secondary education. The producer’s wife has received honorary Doctorates from Yale, Berklee, and Middlebury college respectively owing to her professional prowess and drive for a better society.
SEE ALSO: Juanita Bynum- 10 Things No One Told You About The African-American Singer
How Rich is Jean Hébrail?
It may be difficult to exactly say how much the producer is really worth given that he loves to distance himself from the media. However, his wife’s net worth is estimated to be sound 5.5 million dollars all from a collaborative promising music career with her husband.
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