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Vogue

With the Public Theater's ‘Goddess,' Amber Iman Steps Into Her Powers

What was the first song of Simone's you loved? Probably 'Be My Husband.' I started singing it in my solo shows, and at the time I was dating a drummer, and that's a song that is just drums and voice. It exposes you so much, you have nothing to lean on. The challenge of that song made me love it. Also the lyrics of it? She's threatening a man: If you cheat on me, I will kill you. These are all the things you need to do if you want me to stay with you. Something about that really hit for me. What was her first song you felt you really understood? When I did my 92Y concert, it became 'Feeling Good.' That's the song everybody knows, with this big band sound. When Jocelyn Bioh and I were looking at it, I went, 'Jocelyn, I hate this song.' Everybody uses it as an opportunity for sex. Everyone just wants to be sultry, and every time I hear that song, I'm like, What is this about? We found that it came from a musical about two men [The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd, from 1964]. The character who sang it had no name, he was just called 'The Negro,' and it was the eleven o'clock number. When you listen to how it's sung, it is completely the opposite of anything you've ever heard in your life. It's not about sex, it's about strife and struggle and trying to find the silver lining. And what my music director, Michael O. Mitchell, and I did with it—of all the songs I sang, people came up to me and said that was the first time they'd ever understood it. We're going to record a cover of it, because it was so powerful. And I didn't know it came from a musical! Nina took from Broadway a lot and, listening to the songs from Goddess that have already been released, it feels like there could be a similar crossover. From your mouth to God's ears, please. Because it belongs there. I feel like sometimes Broadway musicals don't center music in a way that music can be felt and experienced. I feel like Goddess has the opportunity to do musicals in a new way.