At a time when it seems everyone wants the rhythm of the black woman but none of her blues, actress/singer Danielle Brooks creates a song that reminds us of our magic and scoffs at the notion that we are anything less than queens. Her debut single, aptly titled “Black Woman” and co-written by actor Anthony Ramos (star of Hamilton, She’s Gotta Have It and A Star Is Born) and songwriter/producer Will Wells, is a defiantly celebratory anthem that serves as a vibrant wake-up call when we've allowed our crowns to hit the floor. Her tone is proud and powerful as she sings, “I'm a black woman / Cornbread-fed, sweet tea sippin' / Nubian queen with the skin that glistens / I'm a black woman.”
The multitalented Orange is The New Black actress, who also starred in 2016 Broadway production of The Color Purple, jumped at the chance to candidly capture her journey as a black woman in America through song. She felt that previous “black girl anthems” were a bit filtered.
“I’d never really heard the nitty-gritty of those things that we struggle with every day. And throwing them at the world and say, 'Hey. Can you hear my story? Can you see me?' And all of me," Brooks shares. "Not just physically but my mind, my spirit, my soul, my heart, can you feel that? Do you know what we experience every day?” With the help of her two friends, she was able to convey the struggles that are unique to our experience, while shouting out our resilient spirit at the same damn time. She says, "I want black women to feel empowered by this song; I want them to feel on top of the world.” That’s where we belong, after all.
Straighten your crown and give Danielle Brooks’ “Black Woman” a spin below, and be sure to play it for all the queens in your life. The track is available now on all streaming platforms and she promises to release the accompanying video soon.
