"I have the ability to sing with emotion and feeling, but if you say I sound like Billie Holiday, that's cool. Let's look at who Billie was: she was this person, this singer, this beautiful diva who could move the audience with the slightest gesture of her hand"
- Erykah Badu
About this Quote
Erykah Badu's quote talks to the power of music and the impact of great artists. She acknowledges her own ability to sing with emotion and feeling, but is likewise humbled by the contrast to Billie Holiday. Badu acknowledges the effect that Holiday had on her audience, and how she could move them with the smallest gesture of her hand. This speaks with the power of music and how it can stimulate feeling and sensation in people. Badu's quote is a testimony to the power of music and the influence of fantastic artists like Billie Holiday. It is a tip that music can be an effective force for good, and that we must make every effort to develop music that can move people in the exact same method that Holiday did.
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