By Tony Smith, Indie Incognito

Nina Simone wasn't just an artist. She was a force of nature, a genre-defying truth-teller wrapped in velvet and fire. Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in 1933, Simone trained as a classical pianist with dreams of becoming the first Black concert pianist in America. The world, however, had other plans, and so did she. Barred from opportunity by racism, she pivoted. What we got in return was nothing short of revolutionary.

With a voice that could smolder or shatter, Simone turned pain into protest and soul into scripture. Songs like Mississippi Goddam, To Be Young, Gifted and Black, and I Put a Spell on You weren't just music; they were sonic declarations of war against injustice, infused with intelligence, rage, and fierce elegance. She didn't make "protest music"; she made truth music, uncomfortable and unforgettable.

Simone's refusal to be silenced made her both a muse and a threat. She lost fans, gigs, and mainstream support. She did not care. She once said, An artist's duty is to reflect the times. And reflect them she did. Mirroring our ugliness, our beauty, and our potential for transformation.

In a world obsessed with palatability, Nina Simone was never easy to digest. She was bold, complicated, volatile, vulnerable, and completely necessary. Her music still haunts and heals, reminding us that real change doesn't come from silence.

Today, her legacy moves beyond music festivals and curated playlists. She lives in the fearless artistry of generations she inspired, from Lauryn Hill to John Legend to Alicia Keys. In the house that is Black music and Black resistance, Nina Simone didn't just build a room, she laid the foundation.

At Indie Incognito, we celebrate the artist who made rage poetic and justice sound like jazz. Nina didn't just sing the blues. She became them.

One of her most legendary performances, raw, emotive, and unfiltered Watch her n fu force at the Jazz à Juan Festival