It's because they want to sound like Americans. I'd like to see them develop our music and sing it their way, but they think sounding American is goi… - Miriam Makeba

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It's because they want to sound like Americans. I'd like to see them develop our music and sing it their way, but they think sounding American is going to take them higher, but it is not. They have beautiful voices, but they want to sound like Whitney Houston. You can't beat people like that at their own game. And they can't beat me at mine, either!

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About Miriam Makeba

Miriam Makeba (4 May 1932 – 10 November 2008) was a South African Grammy-awarded singer, songwriter, author, actress, former UN ambassador, and civil rights activist, also known as "The Empress of African Song" and Mama Africa.

Also Known As

Pen Names: Mama Africa
Birth Name: Zenzile Miriam Makeba
Alternative Names: Miriam Zenzi Makeba Zensile Makeba Qgwashu Nguvama Yiketheli Nxgowa Bantana Balomzi Xa Ufnu Ubajabulisa Ubaphekeli Mbiza Yotshwala Sithi Xa Saku Qgiba Ukutja Sithathe Izitsha Sizi Khabe Singama Lawu Singama Qgwashu Singama Nqamla Nqgithi Mirjam Makeba Miriam Zenat Makeba
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Additional quotes by Miriam Makeba

In those years, when I came to the States, people were always asking me why I didn’t sing anymore. I’d tell them, ‘I sing all around the world—Asia, Africa, Europe—but if you don’t sing in the US, then you haven’t really made it.’ That’s why I’ll always be grateful to Paul Simon. He allowed me to bring my music back to my friends in this country.

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In New York I heard A Piece of Ground, written by a white South African, Jeremy Taylor. I modified it a little and sang it myself. That song is very special to me because it deals with the land question in southern Africa. We were dispossessed of our land.<ref name="Al-Ahram Weekly">

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