Five-time Grammy winner Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo has released the official music video for \u201cBando,\u201d her collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Quavo, bringing the vibrant track to the streets of Grigny, France.<\/p>\n
Released on August 28, 2026, the new visual accompanies an orchestral reimagining of \u201cBando,\u201d originally featured on Kidjo\u2019s acclaimed album HOPE!!. Pharrell produced the new version, which expands the song with the Voices of Fire choir and a 50-member orchestra.<\/p>\n
Taking \u201cBando\u201d to the streets<\/p>\n
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Paul Hunter, the video was filmed in La Grande Borne in Grigny, outside Paris, with members of the local community appearing alongside Kidjo, Pharrell and Quavo.<\/p>\n
The visual captures the energy of everyday community life, with young people, dancers and residents bringing movement and personality to the streets.<\/p>\n
Football, dancing and street culture feature prominently throughout the video, reinforcing the song\u2019s themes of community, resilience and togetherness.<\/p>\n
Kidjo also delivers several standout fashion moments throughout the visual, while Pharrell and Quavo add their own presence to the colourful street setting.<\/p>\n
A bigger version of \u201cBando\u201d<\/p>\n
The new release is more than a standard music video. Kidjo and Pharrell have transformed the original into a larger orchestral production.<\/p>\n
The arrangement features the 50-member orchestra and Voices of Fire, giving the song a more expansive and cinematic sound while maintaining its energetic blend of African music, hip-hop and contemporary global influences.<\/p>\n
The orchestral version was first introduced earlier this year as the finale of Louis Vuitton\u2019s Spring-Summer 2027 Men\u2019s Show in Paris, where Pharrell serves as the brand\u2019s Men\u2019s Creative Director.<\/p>\n
Kidjo, Pharrell and Quavo\u2019s global collaboration<\/p>\n
\u201cBando\u201d brings together three artists from very different musical backgrounds.<\/p>\n
Kidjo\u2019s decades-long career has made her one of Africa\u2019s most influential global musicians, while Pharrell has become one of the world\u2019s most celebrated producers, artists and creative directors. Quavo, meanwhile, brings his Atlanta-rooted hip-hop style to the collaboration.<\/p>\n
The result is a cross-cultural record that connects African music, American hip-hop, orchestral arrangements and contemporary fashion culture.<\/p>\n
The original \u201cBando\u201d is included on Kidjo\u2019s HOPE!! album, which also features collaborations with artists including Ayra Starr, Davido, Fally Ipupa, The Cavemen., Nile Rodgers, IZA and Charlie Wilson.<\/p>\n
Another major moment for Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo<\/p>\n
The video arrives at a particularly significant point in Kidjo\u2019s career.<\/p>\n
Earlier this month, she became the first Black African to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, recognising more than four decades of music and her contribution to bringing African culture to audiences around the world.<\/p>\n
Her latest visual therefore arrives as another celebration of an artist who has consistently connected African music with audiences and creative communities around the world.<\/p>\n
A celebration of community<\/p>\n
At the heart of the \u201cBando\u201d video is a simple message: where you come from should not determine where you can go.<\/p>\n
By taking the song into the streets and involving members of the Grigny community, Kidjo turns the visual into a celebration of people, culture and collective creativity.<\/p>\n
With Pharrell and Quavo alongside her, the new \u201cBando\u201d video further demonstrates Kidjo\u2019s ability to bring different generations and cultures together through music.<\/p>\n
Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo\u2019s \u201cBando\u201d featuring Pharrell Williams and Quavo is out now, with the official video bringing the collaboration to the streets of Grigny, France.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Five-time Grammy winner Ang\u00e9lique Kidjo has released the official music video for \u201cBando,\u201d her collaboration with Pharrell Williams and Quavo, bringing the vibrant track to the streets of Grigny, France. Released on August 28, 2026, the new visual accompanies an orchestral reimagining of \u201cBando,\u201d originally featured on Kidjo\u2019s acclaimed album HOPE!!. Pharrell produced the new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[160],"class_list":["post-4112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","author-urbanafrica"],"authors":[{"term_id":160,"user_id":2,"is_guest":0,"slug":"urbanafrica","display_name":"URBANAFRICA","avatar_url":{"url":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-FFB50F59-0D6C-491C-BACA-64123F72D056.jpg","url2x":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cropped-FFB50F59-0D6C-491C-BACA-64123F72D056.jpg"},"author_category":"1","first_name":"Emmanuel","last_name":"I","user_url":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/","job_title":"","description":"Top journalist covering music, entertainment, arts, and culture, delivering breaking stories and deep insights that shape the global conversation."}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4112"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4114,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4112\/revisions\/4114"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4112"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africahalloffame.org\/Home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ppma_author?post=4112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}