{"id":77116,"date":"2022-08-09T09:28:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T07:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/?p=77116"},"modified":"2022-08-11T11:43:29","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T09:43:29","slug":"as-we-celebrate-the-historic-lionesses-four-outstanding-artists-release-a-classic-cover-in-honour-of-the-queen-of-soul-aretha-franklin-the-original-lioness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2022\/08\/as-we-celebrate-the-historic-lionesses-four-outstanding-artists-release-a-classic-cover-in-honour-of-the-queen-of-soul-aretha-franklin-the-original-lioness\/","title":{"rendered":"As we celebrate the historic Lionesses, four outstanding artists release a classic cover in honour of the \u2018Queen of Soul\u2019 Aretha Franklin, the original Lioness."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On 16th August, four London artists will release a breath-taking cover of \u2018Natural Woman\u2019 in honour of Aretha Franklin, sometimes labelled the \u2018Queen of Soul\u2019 but always revered and loved as a woman who demanded R.E.S.P.E.C.T.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Aretha passed away four years ago on 16th August 2018 but left a legacy of incredible music that has twice placed her in the top ten of Rolling Stone\u2019s \u2018100 Greatest Artists of All Time\u2019. Despite being known as a musical legend, she was a traumatized child, a teenage mother, a gospel prodigy and a civil rights champion, all things which she channelled into her music defining catalogue of soul, filling her songs with spirit; she translated that feel and fire into everything she did, but, more than anything she was defined by her voice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Many came after her, emboldened by her, but none came close because more than any of them Franklin possessed a roar that wasn’t only technically brilliant, it was a natural, self derived instrument that testified to her truths. This roar of a voice was something so moving and inspiring that it surely makes her the original Lioness, but above all it makes her the ultimate \u2018Natural Woman\u2019 because what made Aretha special was the soul, the humanity, the natural way she gave nerve to people when they were being beaten down and killed. Upon her death four years ago, the Obamas said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade-our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard won respect\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It seems fitting then that as a mark of their respect for what Aretha has brought to them, four London based musicians will release their brilliant cover of the iconic \u2018Natural Woman\u2019. As we all reveled in Women\u2019s football putting a smile on the face of Football, I\u2019m sure it was not lost on us that we can only function as a society when everyone feels powerful enough to embrace their truths, our Lionesses didn\u2019t ultimately triumph by anything other than self empowerment; without strong natural women we are nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marie Naffah, Celine Love, Fox Gunn and Viia have joined their incredible talents to create something very powerful indeed, following on from their acoustic charity release, they are releasing this stunning produced version which will quite simply take your breath away. If this acts as your introduction to these four very special artists then the song will have taken a step in the right direction but if this song makes you feel the soul of Aretha coursing through your veins, if this song makes you feel empowered and ready to tackle the day, the month, the year, then I’m sure Marie, Celine, Fox and Viia will feel that they have achieved their goal. Hear them sing, feel their honesty coursing through the music, embracing their own truths and their own nature and tap into four modern women letting the legacy of Aretha flow through their music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marie Naffah, Celine Love. Fox Gunn and Viia have joined their incredible talents to create something very powerful indeed, following on from their acoustic charity release, they are releasing this stunning produced version of the Aretha Franklin classic, ‘Natural Woman’, which will quite simply take your breath away.<\/p>\n

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Fox Gunn and Viia have joined their incredible talents to create something very powerful indeed, following on from their acoustic charity release, they are releasing this stunning produced version of the Aretha Franklin classic, 'Natural Woman', which will quite simply take your breath away.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,9,21453,21445,21446],"tags":[7444,28689,28824,28823,28826,77,370,3138,28825],"class_list":["post-77116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","category-new-releases","category-new-singles","category-reviews","category-single-reviews","tag-aretha-franklin","tag-celine-love","tag-fox-gunn","tag-marie-naffah","tag-natural-woman","tag-new-release","tag-new-single","tag-steve-holley","tag-viia"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/natural-woman1.jpg?fit=1006%2C667&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5yMhl-k3O","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":47724,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2019\/03\/amazing-grace-in-cinemas-may-10\/","url_meta":{"origin":77116,"position":0},"title":"AMAZING GRACE IN CINEMAS MAY 10","author":"Essentially Pop","date":"06\/03\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"STUDIOCANAL are very excited to release the exhilarating trailer for AMAZING GRACE, the never-before-seen footage taken during the intimate recording of Aretha Franklin\u2019s iconic album, ahead of its rousing cinematic release on 10th May 2019.","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","block_context":{"text":"Films","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/films\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/AG_6.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/AG_6.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/AG_6.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/AG_6.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/AG_6.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":74407,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2022\/03\/international-womens-day-charity-single-natural-woman-from-4-incredible-london-musicians\/","url_meta":{"origin":77116,"position":1},"title":"International Women\u2019s Day Charity Single ‘Natural Woman’ From 4 Incredible London Musicians.","author":"Steve Holley","date":"08\/03\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Marie Naffah, Celine Love, Fox Gunn, and Viia join forces for International Women's Day on the charity single, 'Natural Woman', with money raised to go to LOOK UK's South Asian Female Support Group.","rel":"","context":"In "Music"","block_context":{"text":"Music","link":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IWD-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C912&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IWD-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C912&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IWD-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C912&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IWD-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C912&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/IWD-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C912&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32393,"url":"https:\/\/essentiallypop.com\/epop\/2018\/01\/liyah-bey-million-dollar-girl-and-cant-stop-loving-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":77116,"position":2},"title":"Liyah Bey – ‘Million Dollar Girl’ and ‘Can\u2019t Stop Loving You’","author":"Lisa Hafey","date":"15\/01\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Los Angeles based Liyah Bey has a powerful voice that is classic, flexible, and endlessly adaptable. 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