“Strong and booming, yet subtle, soulful and even sultry”

“The world in many ways seems to be getting meaner,” says Shemekia Copeland, feminist singer, also known as the ‘Queen of the Blues’. “The poor get poorer. People turn their backs on orphans and refugees. And, of course, corporations continue to destroy mother earth,” adds the three-time Grammy nominee as she gets ready to perform at the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai on Sunday. […]

Copeland’s vocals are strong and booming, yet subtle, soulful and even sultry. The artiste, who makes no bones of her overt concern with politics and views her performance before the Obamas at the White House as an unforgettable experience, grew up on a steady diet of blues, gospel and country in a Harlem ghetto.

Shemekia Copeland tells Ornella D’Souza and DNA about her father, her feminist inspirations and the greats who shaped her music, before her performance at the Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, India.

Read the full story in DNA.