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Cole Henderson's avatar

And I would surmise, if Sade weren't so private, we'd unfortunately see how each of these talented artists had to deal with very toxic partners during their lifetime. I say that not to take away from their artistry, but in a way, another element that ties these three together, another element like you mentioned, shows up in their work.

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John Noire's avatar

Agreed, I tend to have a soft spot for these artists (Aaliyah especially) so I purposefully avoided highlighting the shared tragedy in their lives as it tends to be the bit that is most known / covered about them on an individual basis. My focus with this piece was to celebrate what drew us to their music in the first place and how it fits within a lineage that simultaneously precedes them and will continue long after they’re gone.

Thanks for reading 🙏🏾

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alex b.'s avatar

Def agree that Sade keeps her life pretty private

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and now Miguel's avatar

I don’t have the same birthday, but, I am a Capricorn. This piece has me thinking of samples and lyric ideas to cook up. Thanks for the inspiration. This joint reads like poetry, very artfully and skillful. Interested to see the other themes you might have found.

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John Noire's avatar

Thanks for reading man. There were so many connections that I found during my research but I had to condense it so that the piece maintained its potency.

The key ones left on the cutting room floor was their shared tragic personal life / history, their sense of style and how that contributed to a quiet, confident aesthetic that people are still drawn to till this day and Aaliyah & FKA Twigs both openly claiming Sade as a source of inspiration thereby making her the prototype (which, arguably, goes all the way back to Billie Holiday even though she doesn’t share the same zodiac sign)

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and now Miguel's avatar

That’s really interesting to learn that their inspiration was Billie Holiday. She, too, had a tragic story. I dig the part about quiet confidence too. It’s all apart of being a goat-fishtail. Coming from the depths of the ocean and daring to claim to the summit while wet from the grief of the sea. 🙏🏽

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Natelegé Whaley's avatar

I love this so much! Tying together women born on the same day, different generations. their reserved spirits are the ultimate cool that can’t be taught but often mimicked.

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John Noire's avatar

Thanks! It’s an idea that I’ve been sitting on for a while but your “parallels” series showed me how I could bring all those elements together 🙏🏾

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Natelegé Whaley's avatar

That means so much! I’m excited that the series inspired you to write. Thank you!

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alex b.'s avatar

My big Virgo energy loves this💙

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John Noire's avatar

A complimentary zodiac sign 🙌🏾

Would love to see your take on the idea with something like “Virgo’s Groove” (shoutout Beyoncé)

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