Chloe Bailey Slays Her Cover of Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’
Usually, alongside her sister as duo Chloe X Halle, Chloe Bailey performed for the first time as a solo artist, covering Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Taking part in ABC’s Juneteenth: Together We Triumph – A Soul of a Nation Special Event, Bailey gave a sensual and flawless performance of the well-known song.
Done as an honor or tribute to legendary singer Nina Simone, Bailey sang a new rendition of “Feeling Good” this past weekend on June 19, also known as Juneteenth. Performing against a moon backdrop, Bailey looked stunning in a shiny bedazzled leotard and sparkly tights to match. When not focused on Bailey, the dark lighting made the performance feel mysterious and played into the different sound this rendition gave off. Giving it to her all, Bailey performed extremely well alone, hitting all the right notes, all while dancing the whole time flawlessly.
While receiving criticism for the sensual nature of her performance, with some fans saying it was “too sexy” or “didn’t fit,” Bailey received high praise from Nina Simone’s granddaughter Ré Anna Simone Kelly and other fans who thought quite differently. In a Twitter thread, calling her grandmother “free-spirited,” Kelly wrote extensively in support of Bailey, alongside support from fans who also acknowledged Nina Simone’s free-spirited nature. Many wrote that Nina Simone has always been a sensual woman and would have loved to see a young black woman perform in ways she couldn’t during her time.
Everyone’s coming at @ChloeBailey for her performance of my grandmother Nina Simone’s song “Feeling Good”. But what y’all don’t understand is that grandma was a free spirited woman herself!! She would’ve loved that performance as much as I do! Relax. Chloe killed it. #NinaSimone
— RéAnna Simone Kelly (@reasiimone) June 19, 2021
Y’all MUST do some research on Nina Simone before saying Chloe Bailey didn’t understand the assignment…Nina Simone was literally a free-spirited woman 😂😭
— ✨🧘🏾♀️ Good Days 🤍 (@Its_Kennaa) June 19, 2021
Go watch the documentary of Nina on Hulu, then tweet lol.
The ABC Juneteenth special was put together in honor of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and has been celebrated in the national holiday’s place of origin, Galveston, Texas, since 1866. This recent celebration of Juneteenth also featured performances from Jimmie Allen and Leon Bridges, along with Leslie Odom Jr hosting the event and Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan sitting down to speak with former President Barack Obama. While Bailey’s performance brought about a lot of attention, the entire special is definitely worth watching. Performing “Feeling Good” on Good Morning America, Monday, June 21, hopefully, Bailey will continue to have opportunities to continue showing how talented she is.
Re-watch the singer’s electric performance of “Feeling Good” above. If you want to hear more of Chloe and her sister, their second album, Ungodly Hour, is available across all music streaming platforms.
