--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I loved her music and the fact that she…" description: "\"I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique, but what made Nina Simone my hero is that I..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png" --- # I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically… ![“I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique, but what made Nina Simone my hero is that I had never seen anyone in the public eye who looked anything like me at all, ever.” quote by India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png) > “I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique, but what made Nina Simone my hero is that I had never seen anyone in the public eye who looked anything like me at all, ever.” [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing a public figure who looks like you can inspire confidence and a sense of belonging. **In simple terms:** Representation inspires empowerment. Key Takeaway Seek role models who reflect you. Themes representation identity empowerment Mood hopeful affirming Type cultural motivational When to use this quote - media consumption - personal growth - community building Key Concepts visibility role model culture Questions to Reflect On - How does representation affect your self‑esteem? - What barriers exist for diverse voices? A Different Perspective Not everyone can find a perfect match in representation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) ## Related quotes > [You have to see my show to believe that Im the only unique Nina Hagen on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-hagen/you-have-to-see-my-show-to-believe-that-im-the-only-unique-nina-hagen/) [Nina Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-hagen/) > [You have to see my show to believe that I'm the only unique Nina Hagen on this planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-hagen/you-have-to-see-my-show-to-believe-that-i-m-the-only-unique-nina/) [Nina Hagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-hagen/) > [Nina Simone sacrificed so much to be as bold as she was about being black and about being female in an era where that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/nina-simone-sacrificed-so-much-to-be-as-bold-as-she-was-about-being/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [ I wish that she had had a black loon because I don't think that Nina \[Simone\] did. I have always had - I've been… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-wish-that-she-had-had-a-black-loon-because-i-don-t-think-that-nina/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [“And when we pressed our heads to each other's hearts how did we not hear Carmen McRae singing? In Angela's fisted hands, Billie Holiday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-when-we-pressed-our-heads-to-each-other-s-hearts-how-did-we-not/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think it's fair to say that Nina Simone was a prodigy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/i-think-it-s-fair-to-say-that-nina-simone-was-a-prodigy/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [ I just think she was a wonderful woman. What I think of when I think of Nina \[Simone\] is someone that I could relate… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-giovanni/i-just-think-she-was-a-wonderful-woman-what-i-think-of-when-i-think/) [Nikki Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-giovanni/) > [I write to music, and Nina Simone is always on my playlist to write to. I mean, shes inspiring. She's truthful and real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-prince-bythewood/i-write-to-music-and-nina-simone-is-always-on-my-playlist-to-write-to/) [Gina Prince-Bythewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-prince-bythewood/) > [My big influences are Joni Mitchell, and a lot of classical and Indian music, as well as Nina Simone and the personal blues and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yael-naim/my-big-influences-are-joni-mitchell-and-a-lot-of-classical-and-indian/) [Yael Naim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yael-naim/) > [“There's a recording of Nina Simone's "Ain't Got No", where Simone, after listing all the things she doesn't have - a home, shoes, money,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/durga-chew-bose/there-s-a-recording-of-nina-simone-s-ain-t-got-no-where-simone-after/) [Durga Chew-Bose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/durga-chew-bose/) > [I always loved music, but I didn't know if I could be the kind of artist that makes a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-always-loved-music-but-i-didn-t-know-if-i-could-be-the-kind-of/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [When I'm about to train a new opera, I first listen to how Jussi Björling did it. His voice was unique and it's his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/when-i-m-about-to-train-a-new-opera-i-first-listen-to-how-jussi-bj/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [There were things I tried to emulate, like Diana's head tilt and her voice. She had a very unique way of speaking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-corrin/there-were-things-i-tried-to-emulate-like-diana-s-head-tilt-and-her/) [Emma Corrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-corrin/) > [Music enabled me as a fragile young person to give voice to emotions I could barely name, and how it enables me to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/music-enabled-me-as-a-fragile-young-person-to-give-voice-to-emotions/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [I think I'm a good writer. I think I have my own voice, which is unique to everyone - everyone has their own voice;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-holofcener/i-think-i-m-a-good-writer-i-think-i-have-my-own-voice-which-is-unique/) [Nicole Holofcener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-holofcener/) ## More by India Arie > [I've always wanted my music to serve a certain purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-ve-always-wanted-my-music-to-serve-a-certain-purpose/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [The only thing constant in this world is change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/the-only-thing-constant-in-this-world-is-change/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [When it comes down to the song writing, I'm just very slow - very slow. Because the songs are about my life, so I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/when-it-comes-down-to-the-song-writing-i-m-just-very-slow-very-slow/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [In this era, soul is not a sound or a color: it's an intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/in-this-era-soul-is-not-a-sound-or-a-color-it-s-an-intention/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Basically, I listen to voices. If they write good songs and they can sing, I'll probably like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/basically-i-listen-to-voices-if-they-write-good-songs-and-they-can/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [I was born in love with music. My mother is a singer. Many of my aunts and uncles on my mother's side are musical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-was-born-in-love-with-music-my-mother-is-a-singer-many-of-my-aunts/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Keep your expensive cars and your caviar. Alls I need is my guitar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/keep-your-expensive-cars-and-your-caviar-alls-i-need-is-my-guitar/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [“By all of your beauty I am so inspired. Your love has baptized me by fire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/by-all-of-your-beauty-i-am-so-inspired-your-love-has-baptized-me-by/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [I am on an album with theater icon Billy Porter called the 'Soul of Richard Rodgers.' Our duet is called 'Carefully Taught.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-am-on-an-album-with-theater-icon-billy-porter-called-the-soul-of/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [There are a lot of men who like women with a brain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/there-are-a-lot-of-men-who-like-women-with-a-brain/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [I like being a role model - people have told me that I am a role model for empowered women, but I don't see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-like-being-a-role-model-people-have-told-me-that-i-am-a-role-model/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Neo-soul is really less about a sound than it is about a look, in my opinion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/neo-soul-is-really-less-about-a-sound-than-it-is-about-a-look-in-my/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [To a man who loves music. A man who loves art. Respect's the spirit world and thinks with his heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/to-a-man-who-loves-music-a-man-who-loves-art-respect-s-the-spirit/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Simplicity only means making peace with the complexity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/simplicity-only-means-making-peace-with-the-complexity/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) > [Everything in my music has always been emotionally and spiritually motivated... But after I started doing yoga, the place where I came from changed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/everything-in-my-music-has-always-been-emotionally-and-spiritually/) [India Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) [Explore all 129 India Arie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/) ## More Hero quotes > [I've always been fascinated by the idea that there's no such thing as evil; it's all in your point of view. To one group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-roth/i-ve-always-been-fascinated-by-the-idea-that-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Eli Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-roth/) > [I am convinced that we will never build a democratic state based on rule of law if we do not at the same time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/i-am-convinced-that-we-will-never-build-a-democratic-state-based-on/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/) [Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/) > ['Melanin Man' was inspired by the words of an Uber driver in L.A. Before I got out of the car he said, 'They're scared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masego/melanin-man-was-inspired-by-the-words-of-an-uber-driver-in-l-a-before/) [Masego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masego/) > [Once the state has been founded, there can no longer be any heroes. They come on the scene only in uncivilized conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/once-the-state-has-been-founded-there-can-no-longer-be-any-heroes/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [You know, I often thought that the gangster and the artist are the same in the eyes of the masses. They're admired and hero-worshipped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/you-know-i-often-thought-that-the-gangster-and-the-artist-are-the/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [“A hero is not know by the number of battles he has won, but rather by the kind of battles he chooses to fight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonny-k-brown/a-hero-is-not-know-by-the-number-of-battles-he-has-won-but-rather-by/) [Tonny K. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tonny-k-brown/) > [The last act in the biography of the hero is that of the death or departure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/the-last-act-in-the-biography-of-the-hero-is-that-of-the-death-or/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Teachers are heroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-best/teachers-are-heroes/) [Charles Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-best/) > [“Forgotten hero was never the real hero, real hero can not be forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/forgotten-hero-was-never-the-real-hero-real-hero-can-not-be-forgotten/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > ['Sex and The City' was made to correct the myth that if you were single at a certain age, you were a leper. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-patrick-king/sex-and-the-city-was-made-to-correct-the-myth-that-if-you-were-single/) [Michael Patrick King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-patrick-king/) > [I believe in a world where there are no heroes, and I've read and know humanity a lot. There are moments that I admire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orhan-pamuk/i-believe-in-a-world-where-there-are-no-heroes-and-i-ve-read-and-know/) [Orhan Pamuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orhan-pamuk/) > [O it's Tommy this, and Tommy that, and Tommy 'ow's your soul/But it's thin red line of heroes when the drums begin to roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/o-it-s-tommy-this-and-tommy-that-and-tommy-ow-s-your-soul-but-it-s/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Benny Carter came up to me and said to me, "You know, in the whole history of the alto, I think Phil is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gordon/benny-carter-came-up-to-me-and-said-to-me-you-know-in-the-whole/) [Jon Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gordon/) [Browse all 5,602 Hero quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique, but what made Nina Simone my hero is that I had never seen anyone in the public eye who looked anything like me at all, ever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "India Arie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she-was-a-classically-trained/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hero" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she-was-a-classically-trained/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ec/india-arie-3506_hero_i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she_474822.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I loved her music and the fact that she was a classically trained pianist and that her voice was so unique…” — India Arie", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "India Arie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I loved her music and the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she-was-a-classically-trained/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie/i-loved-her-music-and-the-fact-that-she-was-a-classically-trained/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```