Nina Simone once discussed the stifling pressures faced by musicians
Musicianship is perhaps the most overglamourised profession in the world. The dream-like image of seeing the world, playing in grand venues and meeting interesting people is far from the reality of most performers. Even if an artist does reach the height of stardom, it is not usually an easy ride, as Nina Simone will gladly tell you.
Simone is inarguably one of the most impactful artists of the 20th century and certainly one of the most hardworking. A truly gifted pianist, Simone had been infatuated with music from a very young age. Using her gift to escape from the poverty and hardship that she was born into, she fought tooth and nail to get to the top of the music scene in the US. A feat that is even more impressive when considering she was an outspoken Black woman living through a period of intense racial discrimination which permeated throughout all aspects of American society.
The pianist was never one to let her feelings go unspoken. Using her platform to become a staunch advocate for the civil rights movement, Simone had worked tirelessly for her position, and she was not going to let it go wasted. But alas, with great power comes great pressure, and the R&B and jazz star soon found herself under a mountain of stress.
In a 1970 documentary included within the boxset for To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story, an exhausted Simone can be heard explaining the pressure that comes with stardom. “19 people depend on me for their livelihood – that’s a hell of a lot of people,” she reveals, “I know that if I say ‘Look, I’m too tired to work tonight’ I’m gonna get it from both ends. Nobody’s going to understand or care that I’m too tired; I’m very aware of that.”
Throughout her career, Simone remained resentful of the music industry, which had forced her to pivot from classical music and jazz to more marketable pop tunes. Within her complaints, she speaks for a great deal of musicians facing the risk of burn-out at the hands of an exhausting industry. Nowadays, many artists take mental health breaks in order to keep themselves from crumbling under the weight of expectations. However, during Simone’s heyday, there was no chance of this ever occurring.
Not only did the mounting pressure of the industry on Simone cause anxiety and stress, but it also stifled her creativity. “I would like some freedom, somewhere, where I didn’t feel those pressures,” she explained. “I think some songs would flow out of me then because they wouldn’t have to come.”
Adding to the sense of oppression at the hands of the music industry, after placing so much pressure on her to create hits, Simone accused the industry of orchestrating her downfall as punishment for ‘Mississippi Goddam’. The stunning civil rights anthem was one of Simone’s defining tracks, but it clearly did not go down well with the white men who operated the industry. Whatever the truth of that is, Simone’s points about the stifling difficulties faced by musicians still ring true all these years later.
