President Joe Biden recently signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making Juneteenth a federal holiday in the United States. To celebrate, ABC hosted Juneteenth: Together We Triumph on Jun. 18, with musical guests such as Leon Bridges and H.E.R.
Though there were many noteworthy musical performances, Chloe x Halle member Chloe Bailey gained special attention for her cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," for both good and bad reasons.
The singer put on an unforgettable performance that showed her personality while paying homage to Simone and her heritage. Wearing a black, sparkly, one-piece, Bailey added her own personality to the performance, including her own choreography.
Fans on Twitter have praised the artist's performance, and have compared her to such lauded artists as Beyoncé, and even Simone herself. They loved the choreography, saying that Bailey would've made the late singer proud.
However, although many loved her rendition of the classic hit, others weren't too impressed by it. Critics questioned the choreography for the song: specifically, its sensual nature.
With fans continuing to discuss their opinions on the performance, Simone's granddaughter ReAnna Simone Kelly went on to post multiple tweets in support of Bailey. One of her tweets talked about her grandmother, describing her as a spirited woman who would have loved that performance just as much as she herself did.
Juneteenth: Together We Triumph included performances from Bailey, Bridges, H.E.R., and country star Jimmie Allen. The event was hosted by actor Leslie Odom Jr. and included an interview with Barack Obama conducted by Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan. The event also highlighted discussions of African-American culture and past and present racial injustice.
Bailey is part of the successful duo Chloe x Halle, who has made a name for themselves in the R&B music genre. Their most recent album, Ungodly Hour, was released in 2020, and put the duo up for three Grammy Awards. They were also recently nominated for four BET Awards.
The singer also stars in Freeform's Grown-ish and will act in the upcoming horror film The Georgetown Project. There has been no word on whether or not she will release any more solo music in the future.
Bailey's rendition of "Feeling Good" was released on YouTube not long after her performance. At the time of this publication, her cover has reached more than 25,000 streams on Spotify, and has not been released on Apple Music.
Music by Chloe x Halle is available to listen to on Spotify and Apple Music, as is Music by Simone.
This year's full event is not available for people to stream unless without Hulu's Live TV plan, or YouTube TV. However, you can now watch last year's event, Juneteenth: A Celebration of Overcoming, on Hulu for a limited time.