Nicole Henry pays ‘Respect’ to Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin was one of the best-selling musical artists of all time – the most charted female artist in history, she sold more than 75 million records worldwide.

And Nicole Henry, (pictured above) a New York-based soul and jazz singer, will perform ‘The Music of Aretha Franklin’ at The Apex, early next month.

She said that she has performed in the UK before saying: “My first public performances here were in Fall of 2017 – we had four sold-out concerts. We opened the Cambridge Jazz Festival – I can never forget experiencing the beauty of Kings College Chapel – and then two nights launching the London Jazz Festival.

“Like many vocalists, my musical life started in school and church choirs.  But I hadn’t thought of a career in music until a DJ invited me to record house music during my college years.  It was actually at that first performance at a rave when I discovered I wanted to sing professionally and just get better at my craft.

“I’ve been a full-time musician since 2001; my first full-length, international release was in 2004 and I have a total of seven albums.

“While I grew up on pop, soul, classic gospel and R&B, I had an all-in love affair with jazz for about six years, releasing three albums of solely that style; then, since 2008 I’ve been incorporating much more of everything into my sound. To me, good music has always been good music, whatever the genre. But all along the way, I’ve always had a more pop/soul foundation in my vocal style.

“Aretha was an early influence. I can’t think of a time when I didn’t know every word to her ‘Amazing Grace’ album.  How do you explain her gift that was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of talent? Musical expression, for me, is Godly.  It’s power, it’s connection, it’s truth …”

Aretha was listed by Billboard magazine as the greatest singer of all time and named the Queen of Soul and Nicole said that the audience can expect a musical celebration through some of the best soul songs ever recorded.

“And, you can’t honour Aretha without giving her RESPECT.  So, you can count on that … and we will definitely hit at least one of her gospel tunes. We plan on spanning her repertoire, which included gospel, blues, jazz, soul and pop.”

‘The Music of Aretha Franklin: The Queen of Soul’ is at The Apex in Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday, October 9, at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from www.theapex.co.uk or 01284 758000.