Nina Simone. The first black female classic pianist. Songwriter. Singer. Rebel.
Netflix’s documentary ‘What happened Miss Simone?’ gives a great insight on her life. I personally did not know much about her but after watching it I have to say that I believe she does not get the attention and appreciation for the glass ceilings she broke for women and especially black women in America.
She was the first black female classic pianist. She was a composer, songwriter and blues- and jazzsinger. And she was a Rebel.
She was an activist of the black movement in the 1960ies in the USA. Her most important and controversal song called ‘Missisippi Goddam’ referring to the horrible explosion by the Ku-Klux clan in a church in Burmingham, Alabama in which four girls were immediately killed, became very scandalous in that time. It was a bold move and she felt such a necessity to speak up against violence of black Americans. However her involvement in the fight for basic rights for African-Americans was the beginning of her fall.
She lost her career, she lost her family and she lost her health but to me, what this documentary proves, is that she has always been true to herself. Honest, straight and real. She had to pay a high price for her honesty and her passionate political beliefs. However I think it’s very important to remember her musical genius and her unapologetic and brave political involvement.
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