While some argue Chloe Bailey came out swinging for the inaugural performance of her first official solo release, a remake of Nina Simone classic ‘Feeling Good’ (found on the ‘Liberated / Music For The Movement Vol. 3’ EP which can be streamed here), others slammed the young songstress for a showing chock-full of choreography many deemed provocative and ill-fitted for the occasion.
Easily lending the most talked about moment from ABC’s ‘Juneteenth: Together We Triumph’ (#SoulofANation) TV special Friday night (June 18), Bailey’s hip-winding, dipping, and popping even garnered mixed reviews from within the Simone estate.
Moments after the late icon’s official Twitter handle delivered a tweet-and-delete suggesting disapproval of the performance, Nina’s granddaughter hopped online to defend Chloe.
After some viewers expressed Chloe’s choreo was inappropriate, RéAnna Simone Kelly – Nina Simone’s granddaughter – voiced the opposite.
“Grandma was a free spirited woman herself!! She would’ve loved that performance as much as I do,” she said before continuing, “Grandma was unapologetically herself. She was a muhhhfuckin badass woman who did what she wanted when she wanted. She was a sexual woman and she expressed that.”
When quizzed on the insinuated stance of whoever runs the official Nina Simone Twitter handle, Kelly clarified:
“Nina’s granddaughter here. My family doesn’t run her estate anymore. It was taken away from us & given to white people. Our family name was DRAGGED in the media. We get NO royalties, nothing. Wanna hold someone accountable? Ask Kamala Harris why she came for my family.”
Click here to see Chloe’s full performance.