In honor of International Women’s Day (March 8), Grammy Award winner and Tony Award recipient Cynthia Erivo looks to uplift the ladies with her empowering playlist.
Led by the likes of Beyonce, Chaka Khan and Nina Simone, the rising polymath — who previously played famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman — isn’t shy about echoing the strength and courageous heroics of African American women.
“Black people are the tastemakers; our music has been the soundtrack to pivotal moments in history, and our music articulates the very essence of the human experience. That is an extremely important legacy to pay homage to,” she says. “Through songs and stories of our ancestors and of our greats from past and present, we learn what Black people have been through and gain the strength needed to keep moving forward, to keep rising, to keep growing.”
Erivo will star as Aretha Franklin in the upcoming biopic Genius: Aretha, slated for a March 21 release.
Check out her playlist below.
