Aretha Franklin wasn’t just a diva because of her unparalleled vocal performances and soul-filled classics, she was also known for always ensuring that — when she walked into a room, she was the only one to be looked-upon as a ‘Queen’!
For those of you who do not know, Miss Franklin was pretty sharp with her wit and shade and always made good use of it, especially on other female performers.
Recalling one such incident, R&B vocalist – Fantasia Barrino – who’s one of the many soul vocalists taking inspiration from the late legend, recently told Billboard magazine, how Aretha once let her know her ‘accurate spot.’
Speaking to the publication recently, Fantasia reminisced over the time she gave a stellar tribute to the Queen of Soul in the year 2007 – following which she had a formal, one-on-one introduction with the singer herself.
“She walked around the room gracefully, as Aretha would do – very smooth,” Barrino recalled. “She shook hands, gave people one or two words and kept it moving.”
But when it came to Barrino, things suddenly took a slight shift – “She finally gets to me, and she looks at me – I’m still crying. And she said, ‘You can sing – but I’m the bitch around here.’ I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute! That’s not what I was ready for!’ But she was serious.”
Yep, that’s Aretha! Never afraid to let folks know that she was the only Queen that the world had to care about!
And so did Fantasia:
“I understood exactly what she was saying because she was that in my life, for me.”