Maame Joses - Sings Nina Simone: My Skin Is Black

"My skin is black. (...) My back is strong." - Nina Simone. Ambitious, outspoken, bipolar. She wrote 'Feelin' Good' but had no easy life. A brilliant pianist and unparalleled singer who hated the label 'jazz musician' and described her own style as black classical music. She fought for black civil rights, and her life was as intriguing as her versatile music.

Actress and singer-songwriter Maame Joses presents an evening devoted to Nina Simone. She has been singing internationally for over 22 years, was a semi-finalist of De Grote Prijs van Nederland in 2010 and The Voice in 2012. As a devoted fan of Nina, she weaves stories from Simone's life with her own experiences as a black singer - because times have changed, yet they haven't.

The parallels between the two are striking: both sang gospel songs in church, both lived in Nijmegen, and like Nina and her daughter, Maame and her daughter share musical talent. Nina's debut album was called Little Girl Blue, Maame's Grown Man Cry.

Maame Joses sings songs from Simone's extensive repertoire, accompanied by pianist Floris Kappeyne.

Credits: vocals, performance and storytelling - Maame Joses | piano - Floris Kappeyne