Picture of blurry woman's face with eyes looking up

How pain and passion shaped the genius of Aretha Franklin

She was a child prodigy whose brilliance was clear from the start. But the struggles she endured helped make her the Queen of Soul.

Accenting Aretha Franklin’s gospel roots in this 1967 photo, Art Kane moved his camera to make the light look like halos in her eyes.
Photograph by ART KANE
Published March 18, 2021
25 min read

This story appears in the April 2021 issue of National Geographic magazine. Hear more about Aretha Franklin and the secret of musical genius in our podcast, Overheard at National Geographic.

GENIUS: ARETHA 
Cynthia Erivo portrays the Queen of Soul in an eight-part television series that premieres at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, March 21, on Nat Geo. It’s available on Hulu the next day. 

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