Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin’s legendary performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” has moved President Barack Obama to tears during the Kennedy Center Honours ceremony held last December 6 in Washington DC.
Obama was seen wiping away a tear as the legendary soul singer effortlessly belted out the 1968 hit co-written by Carole King. King was among the 2015 honorees of the night which include several famous stars like George Lucas, Rita Moreno, Seiji Ozawa and Cicely Tyson.
The memorable performance left everyone in awe particularly King, who obviously couldn’t hide her emotions as Franklin sat down at the piano before taking off her full-length fur coat during the song’s climax.
King tweeted: “You’ve no idea how much it meant that so many great people showed up to honor me. Or maybe you do. Did you see my face? I love you all!!”
Unsurprisingly, the 73-year-old diva received a standing ovation from the audience.
Watch her stunning performance below.
Who is Aretha Franklin?
A world-renowned American singer and musician, Aretha Franklin is best known for her hits “Respect”, “Think” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”. Franklin has taken home a total of 18 Grammy Awards and is considered one of the best-selling artists in history, according to Wikipedia.
Born on March 25, 1942, Franklin started her singing career as a gospel singer at her father C. L. Franklin’s church. When she was 18, Franklin pursued a secular career and began recording for Columbia Records. It was in 1967 that Franklin gained commercial acclaim and success. By the end of the 1960’s, Franklin had been dubbed as the Queen of Soul.
In 2014, Franklin received an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts from the Harvard University for her contributions to music.