Nina Simone on Being A Fearless Performer

simone youngIf you haven’t seen the documentary “What Happened Miss Simone” I highly recommend watching it on Netflix or renting it.  There are some valuable lessons for artists both good and bad.

Nina was known as one of the best Jazz artists of her time and had a roller coaster career that spiraled downhill after her fanatical push towards violent resolution during the civil rights movement in the 1960’s.

Success Lessons

1) Change your name?  Nina wasn’t born Nina, she was born Eunice Waymon, but when she found herself in the city of Philadelphia as a young artist without a job she decided to work in clubs that were below her “classical training”.  She decided that changing her name would enable her to keep a low profile, but in actuality became one of her greatest assets.  Nina Simone turns out has a more global appeal.  So if you think your god given name just ain’t to catchy you may want to change it.

2) Change your style?  Nina was a classically trained pianist and wanted to be the first ever black concert pianist to play at Carnegie Hall, but her path took her to smoky jazz bars where she learned to sing jazz, which is the style she ended up playing at Carnegie Hall to a sold out audience.  Is your style of music the best for you and your success?

3) Are you devoted?  Nina practiced her ass off as a child and was considered top of her class.  She was relentless in practice and rehearsal and eventually it became second nature to perform with ease.

Failure Lessons CANCER RESEARCH HALLOWEEN BALL

1) Choose Your Team Wisely – Nina became successful and met a man who would become her manager.  The only problem is that he was violent and would physically beat her.

2) Stand Up For Yourself – Nina not only chose the wrong manager, but decided to marry her manager and endured years of mental and physical abuse, to the point where she convinced herself she liked violence.

3) Are You Grounded Spiritually? – Nina Simone had virtually no spirituality and no belief system of something larger than fame.  When she fell out of fame, when she was tempted with violence as a solution to segregation she had no rock to fall on, no overriding belief of what good really is.  This is the biggest pitfall of fame, because fame never lasts and when it dies off, which it will, if you have no foundation you’ll fall apart just like the thousands of artists who came before.  Consider starting a meditation practice or read some books on philosophy, spirituality, start taking yoga classes OR join a frigging religion.  Do something spiritual everyday or one day when the sh*t hits the fan, and it will, you’ll be left high and dry with no foundation to fall back on.

Please feel free to leave any comments on why so many artists succeed then fall apart.

Till next time,  stay true to yourself!

Chad Nellis – CEO Music Launch Pad