During her studies, she came across the single, "Once in a Lifetime," an Afrobeat-inspired tune from Talking Heads. Encouraged by the African sound of the record, Angélique Kidjo told her fellow students about the rhythms she heard. They insisted — incorrectly — that it was rock. "I said, 'That's not rock and roll," she told the L.A. Times. "It's African music."