Yola Pays Tribute to Tina Turner: ‘We Struggle to Talk About Black Women and Genius’ — But It Can’t Be Overstated for the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll
variety.comChris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic You can easily hear the impact of Tina Turner in the music of Yola, one of the greatest singers of our generation.
But it goes far beyond any basic level of influence for this British-bred, now Nashville-based powerhouse. Before becoming a recording artist and Grammy nominee, back in her native U.K., she was a teacher and lecturer in vocal biomechanics who would instruct young singers in how to emulate Turner’s singular voice… or at least how to try.
Yola spoke with Variety about Turner, who died May 24 at age 83. These are some of her thoughts, on everything from Tina’s pure technique to the unique challenges she faced as a Black stylist without parallels or filters to her place in genre-bridging musical history.
In her progression of moving through R&B, becoming known as the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and then becoming this pop star, she was collecting these things along the way — not leaving any of them behind.
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