Legendary soul singer Dionne Warwick sat down with Elle Magazine for their Lift Every Voice segment to discuss her newfound Twitter fame and being a Black woman in the entertainment industry.
The “I Say a Little Prayer” vocalist, whose career has spanned 60 years, says that she enjoys herself and her popularity on Twitter and is not swayed by people believing that someone else is behind her funny and often viral tweets.
“No. You know, of course, they’re gonna think that. I want to have as much fun as anyone, and that’s what I’m doing on Twitter,” said the 80-year-old Grammy-Award-winning singer.
Warwick spoke about her loving and “normal childhood” that was “full of love and laughter and music” spent primarily in the church where her grandfather was a pastor. After finding fame, she says that she began to witness the racism and segregation of the South that she had not known about during her upbringing in East Orange, New Jersey.
“What I experienced in the early part of my career and in the very early tours that I did in the southern region of our country—I saw a lot of stuff I never even knew existed because I didn’t experience that where I came from,” she stated, comparing it to the diverse block where she lived back in Jersey that was filled with people of all races.
When asked about her opinion of the Black female musicians of today, Warwick spoke gently yet honestly about the artists, which she refers to as her “babies.”
“Their recordings are geared for younger ears than mine. Some of their lyrics, I take very great offense at, I must say that. And I’ve voiced that on many occasions with those particular artists,” she explained, before saying that she much rather listen to her peers who make music that “comforts” her.
