It's been a while and I wanted to dedicate this post to the late, great Aretha Franklin. Called the queen of soul: She was a legend, stage slayer, shade thrower, all round brilliant performer.
Aretha's unique voice mastered the attention of every individual and commanded them to listen. One of the OG diva's; being an unapologetic proud black woman and a performer in the 1960's could not have been easy and although her music career started off shaky she defied the odds to become a household name. Even though she had a difficult childhood growing up, coming from a somewhat broken home, she made it her mission to create a life for herself that felt complete.
Aretha's music has lots of great memories for me at different stages in my life. One of my favourites being a 6-year-old me serenading a crush with "Say a little prayer". A moment which my sisters relentlessly teased me for many years after and still do to this day. Another being entering teenhood and deciding to learn all the words to "Respect" because I thought ' this is what it means to be a woman right?' and of course that IS right. Hello?! Aretha- feminist icon.
Aretha Franklin was an inspiration to me and many other young black women as a woman who had a beautiful voice and who wasn't afraid to use it. In her music and also in politics as an active supporter of Martin Luther King Jr.
Aretha's music has lots of great memories for me at different stages in my life. One of my favourites being a 6-year-old me serenading a crush with "Say a little prayer". A moment which my sisters relentlessly teased me for many years after and still do to this day. Another being entering teenhood and deciding to learn all the words to "Respect" because I thought ' this is what it means to be a woman right?' and of course that IS right. Hello?! Aretha- feminist icon.
Aretha Franklin was an inspiration to me and many other young black women as a woman who had a beautiful voice and who wasn't afraid to use it. In her music and also in politics as an active supporter of Martin Luther King Jr.
Aretha once said: " Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I'm using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I'm happy with that."
She's finally in heaven now. Rest in eternal peace, queen.
In honour, here's one of my favourite songs by Aretha Franklin:
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