Twenty years after her death, Nina Simone continues to place herself at the top of sales, in particular with the release of a comic strip and a best-of.
Pianist, singer, composer… Nina Simone would have turned 90 this week and continues to fascinate music lovers. Born in Tryon, North Carolina, the interpreter of Feeling Good (1965) crosses the ages and its long career is summarized today in a new best-of, released only a few days ago, which brings together twenty of his best titles. The opportunity to (re)discover his best pieces, between jazz, bluesgospel and pop, including a cover of Jacques Brel, Do not leave me (1965). A dense discography, but also a life of struggles, told in a new comic by Sophie Adriansen, published by Petit à Petit. The book recounts the emancipation of the singer, born poor in a segregationist country.
A figure in the defense of civil rights
In the 1960s, Nina Simone became involved in the Civil Rights movement. His music, which draws its influence from the music of black American slaves, becomes the symbol of the struggle and his radical positions are hailed for their courage. She resumed in 1965 the piece Strange Fruit (1939) of Billie Holiday. Sophie Adriansen’s comic also recounts a scene where young Nina stops playing during a concert when her parents are dislodged from the front row by white people. After her death in 2003, the ashes of the singer are scattered in several African countries.
Nina Simone will have left behind nearly 40 albums and memorable performances, notably at the Montreux Festival. His life and work inspired a Netflix documentary, titled What Happened, Miss Simone ? (2015) as well as a biopic in 2016: Ninastarring Zoe Saldana.