“Produced by Untold Studios and directed by Gabriella Kingsley, the spellbinding visual aims to celebrate and empower Black women, elevating Nina Simone’s legacy of championing Black talent and beauty. Drawing inspiration from Nina’s iconic looks, rising star Gabriella Kingsley translates her style through contemporary and artistic visuals, playing with mesmerising movement and dynamic backdrops to showcase the hypnotic lyrics of ‘I Put A Spell On You.’
The film was commissioned by Liz Hart on behalf of record label, Verve, to celebrate and pay homage to this renowned artist on what would be her 90th Birthday, helping to ensure her legacy lives on in contemporary culture.
Gabriella explains , “Working on Nina’s Simone’s iconic track ‘I Put a Spell on You’ was a dream come true for me. Concept-wise I knew straight away I wanted to capture strong, beautiful, Black women and that’s what sparked the idea of recreating her iconic looks because who represented that better than Nina herself.
The crew and cast were meticulously chosen and they really executed my vision perfectly. Overall the process working with her estate, Verve and Untold Studios was a truly nourishing and liberating experience and I hope the world enjoys it as much as I did honouring the queen and legend that is Nina Simone.” - Little Black Book