Angélique first met Ibrahim in New York during her project on Oum Kalthoum, and was greatly impressed by his musicality. Loving to create links between cultures to highlight our common humanity, when she met Ibrahim on Roosevelt Island, they searched together for a story linking Africa to the Middle East. They found the great myth of the Queen of Sheba, an African queen who came to meet King Solomon to see if he deserved his reputation as a great sage. According to the Old Testament, the Bible and the Koran, legend has it that the Queen of Sheba asked the king some riddles. Angelica told some of these riddles to Ibrahim. They were so poetic that Ibrahim had the idea of creating a song for each of the riddles. After much research, Angelique chose seven riddles to tell the love story between Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, and King Solomon. Ibrahim then transformed these poems into music, creating a piece in seven beats, mixing African grooves with oriental sounds and melodies.
Angélique Kidjo, a true spokesperson for world music and winner of five Grammy awards, and Ibrahim Maalouf, winner of the most prestigious awards in France and internationally, will unveil the album "Queen of Sheba" on 17 June.
Conceived and unveiled as a live show, Queen of Sheba has been performed at some of the world's most prestigious venues including New York's Carnegie Hall, Jazz à Vienne, Jazz à Juan, Jazz in Marciac and the North Sea Jazz Festival. Following this resounding success, the two artists embarked on the elaboration of an unreleased album. Queen of Sheba is a unique project, the result of an artistic collaboration that reflects the image of these two artists who are where no one expects them to be.