Miss Nina Simone: Artist and Activist

Did you know that the human voice is the only pure instrument? It has notes like no other instrument? It’s like being between the keys of a piano, the notes are there! You can sing them, but they can’t be found on any other instrument. That’s like me. I live in between this. I live in both worlds, the black and the white world.

Born Eunice Waymon, Nina Simone is a legendary singer/songwriter who held a strong opinion and voice in the civil rights movement. Throughout her life Nina worked her hardest to push boundaries and become a true American Pioneer in music and justice.

Through her involvement in the church, Nina became extremely skilled in the art of music. Once old enough, she made herself a promise to become the first black classically trained pianist. After training her entire life, she applied for a scholarship to play at a The Curtis Institute for Music in Philadelphia, where she was denied on the basis of her skin color. She fell in love with performance when she started playing in nightclubs to support her parents who, at the time, moved to Philadelphia just to be with her.  Still known as Eunice Waymon, she didn’t want the word to get around to her mother that she was playing “the devil’s music”, so she decided to start going by Nina Simone. With a unique voice, Nina eventually landed at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival where she performed Lil’ Liza Jane. This performance catapulted her career into the professional music business. Soon after Newport, she met husband her then Andrew Stroud, whom she wrote her famous hit I love you, Porgy about, which was broadcasted from the playboy mansion. They soon got married, bought a house, and quickly had daughter Lisa Simone Stroud. The couple were also business partners and Andrew had a very specific vision for where he wanted to take Nina, that is, the same path as her peers; Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Patti Labelle, etc. But, something was burning in Nina, something stronger than singing love songs and doing repetitive interviews. She wanted to influence a deeper, more profound change in her era.

Nina Simone got an opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall, something she’d made her life goal, but was disappointed in not being able to play classical music.  After what was suppose to be one of the biggest highlights of her career, she began to doubt herself and her purpose. She was being overworked by her manager, who was also her husband and abuser; resentment, anxiety, and exhaustion grew in Nina as her career went on. One night, Nina and Andy were at a nightclub after a performance. A fan came up and put a note in Nina’s pocket. Andy saw this and proceeded to beat her in parking lot, all the way home, drag her up the steps, put a gun to her head, tie her down to the bed, and rape her. Her daughter, Lisa Simone, spoke on the constant abuse, stating “.... She stayed with him, she had a love affair with fire.”

Nina was taken aback by the Birmingham church bombing, from that devastating event, came one of her most famous songs, Mississippi Goddam. When Nina would sing that song, she became so mad that she eventually strained her voice and was never able to hit the same octave again. This is where Nina’s truly legendary work was produced, art coming from a place of passion. She was supported nationally by black activist, writers, and entertainers across the country. She became very good friends with black leaders and creatives such as Lorraine Hansberry, James Baldwin, Malcolm X  and Martin Luther King . This constant energy of activism started to take major effects on Nina, she was still tired, just more passionate and a little angrier than before. “When I’m finished working, as tired as I...and my work takes all of my energy, unfortunately. But, when there are kids who come back stage, who want to talk, or who are moved….I find the time to do so...just to hear some of their grievances and let them know that they are not alone…” However, The Civil Rights Movement began to take a heavy toll on Nina’s heart. She was building and working with her great friends to make progress within the movement, and she watched most of them die in violent cold blood. National radio stations also blacklisted Nina and her work for being so controversial.

Nina called everything quits and moved to Monrovia, Liberia in 1974, a time she considers to be the best years of her life. Nina felt free, which is what she was chasing all along, the feeling of being accepted and appreciated by your country and the citizens around you.  Nina’s daughter eventually moved to Africa with her but their relationship started suffering immensely. As it goes, the abused become the abuser, and even Liberia couldn’t take away the deep sense of resentment and anger Nina carried with her. According to Lisa, her mother became very toxic and abusive as the time went on, causing her to move back to New York City with her father.

Nina was also running out of money, it was only a matter of time before she had to start performing again, but she dreaded the thought of going back to the States. She decided to go to Switzerland, but it wasn’t the comeback she expected. By the time Miss Simone came back to industry, the Civil Rights Movement wasn’t anymore. The songs she had dedicated her career to making, inspiring the black youth to continue to climb the ladders and move those mountains, wasn’t needed, or, wasn’t seen as needed. She began to regress more and more, lashing out, completely flipping the switch at the drop of a dime. Miss Nina Simone was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the late 80s.   

People who believed in Nina were determined to make sure she was able to make the comeback that she needed. With medication and the help of her true friends and family, Miss Simone was soon able to begin successfully touring  all around the world once more. She came back much wiser, enjoying her time and finding her freedom. Nina Simone was a powerhouse and is the perfect example of what someone goes through behind closed doors. All of her art came from a place of pain which she only music could express, Miss Simone knew the power of music and used it to inspire people of all ages across the world. In a 1998 interview, Simone stated, “my music is first in my life...I don’t sacrifice anything for my music...I would love to be married, but that’s second to my music...nothing takes its place. Miss Nina Simone died of Breast Cancer on April 21, 2003 in Carry-le-rouet, France. Her name lives on as forever as a black icon.