You know, I have liked Billie Holliday for a LONG time, but...

[Yollam]

All the young female pop singers aping her style and joining into this chorus that "She was a major influence on me, like, musically" is really starting to get on my nerves.

what is it that with every industry in this country, when one fun, original product comes out, everyone has to copy it and utterly destroy the originality that made it good in the first place?

Remember when it was great to listen to Pearl Jam, but by the end of the 90's all bands were Pearl Jam?

BLECH.

[kwassa]

1. How is Billie Holliday an influence on current singers?

She died decades ago, she is a jazz singer in a world without jazz singers, or at least a developed jazz scene.

[Yollam]

5. It started with Jill Scott.

And now every singer wants to be the next Billie without the heroin.

The latest is Christina Aguilera... :eyes:

[tigereye]

7. at least Christina pays some homage to past singers

she actually respects and covers some of the old soul/blues singers....

[Yollam]

8. And she is a fine singer, esp for a contemporary pop star.

She could maybe learn a little subtlety, but that's another discussion.

I guess it's just the whole bandwagon nature of pop music that is annoying me right now. Natasha Bedingfield apes Holliday's vocal style, too.

[kwassa]

9. Jill Scott sings in a jazz style, but not like Billie at all

She is simply a jazz singer.

Holiday had a unique vocal quality, and a way of singing behing the beat that really no one can imitate.

Christina Aquilera? she has a nice voice, again nothing like Holiday.

[Yollam]

10. It's her new album.

Up till now she's done the loud caterwauling thing, but in recent interviews, she's announced that this will be new style. It will be interesting to see how she emulates Holliday.

[tigereye]

2. I don't think Billie Holiday will suffer

Sometimes the imitators encourage people to go and look for the real stuff. :)

I do like the woman from France, can't remember her name.

[progmom]

3. are you thinking of Madeleine Peyroux?

[tigereye]

6. yes

having a bad cold has rotted my medium term memory! :) :hi:

[bikebloke]

13. I believe she's from Quebec.

But I do like her vocals. But her singing style is like Billie Holiday's.

[progmom]

14. she's actually from Georgia

but spent time in Paris growing up.

[goodboy]

4. I played "the very thought of you" at Andy's memorial. He loved Billie

Holliday./

Is it true that she went through drug detox in a padded room in a straight jacket?

[Orsino]

11. Her originality is perfectly safe...

...no matter how many wannabes arrive at the party decades late.

[Ron Green]

12. Thank God singers are copying Billie Holliday; it's a welcome change

from the melismatic warbling that's become the de rigeur vocal style over the past 15 or 20 years. I hope they'll copy Sarah Vaughan and Anita O'Day, too. Good luck copying Ella!

[djeseru]

15. Billie did not consider herself to be a "singer."

She referred to herself as a "musician."

Which cannot be said of todays singers. And probably of a few recent musicians too...