With her soulful reggae cover of Nina Simone’s “Four Women,” Queen Ifrica embodies the high priestess through her visuals, reminding us of the royal embodiment of Black women and the struggle for survival and equality.
Produced by Grammy award winning artist and producer, Stephen Marley, “Four Women” visuals will “warm the hearts of music lovers all over the world,” according to Jamaican entertainment publicist Ronnie Tomlinson, of the Brooklyn-based Destine Media.
“As women face gender-based violence, financial oppression, stereotypes within society based on their race and the damaging legacy of slavery the resurgence of the single ‘Four Women’ is so timely,” Tomlinson told Caribbean Life on Monday.
“Directed by Extreme Arts, Queen Ifrica naturally personify Nina Simone through the royal images reflecting the many forms of our Black women,” she added.
“I was able to channel Nina Simone because I am connected to the four women mentioned throughout the song ‘Four Women,’” said Queen Ifrica.
Premiering on TheFader, on Sept. 24, “Four Women” visuals is “receiving great feedback, as Queen Ifrica shared her own spin on Nina Simone’s 1966 single, Tomlinson said.
She said the original song was released in 1966 on Simone’s ‘Wild Is the Wind’ album “and spoke to a similar struggle that the women of our society still face today.
“Ifrica has always been known for advocating to end violence against women in her own songs like ‘Daddy,’ ‘Don’t Touch Me There,’” Tomlinson said. “She has also long been a voice of representation for Black women in the entertainment space, as per her 2009 hit ‘Lioness on The Rise’, or more recently her 2017 hit ‘Black Woman.’
“This new single is merely another chapter in the book of her legacy,” she added.
“It was very exciting working with people I am familiar within the form of the band, young vibrant people such as the directors of the video ‘Extreme Arts’ was a perfect match. Also, the communication from Ghetto Youths International team and Stephen Marley the process was easy,” Queen Ifrica said.