Aretha Franklin Makes Barack Obama Cry With Powerful Performance of ‘A Natural Woman’ — Watch
That’s how you do it! Aretha Franklin slayed at the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, paying tribute to Carole King with a flawless version of ‘(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.’ The Queen of Soul had everyone feeling it, bringing even President Barack Obama to tears! Click to watch.
Yas Queen! It didn’t take Aretha Franklin, 73, long to tear the house down at the Kennedy Center Honors. Less than a minute after Aretha took the stage to honor Carole King, 73, the legendary diva’s powerful voice left everyone, including President Barack Obama, 54, wiping away tears.
There wasn’t a dry eye left in the house during the awards ceremony, which aired on CBS on Dec. 29, reports E! News. Carole was absolutely floored when Aretha, clad in a fur coat, sat down to a piano to absolutely slay the audience with a performance of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.” But everyone, including President Obama, was blown away when Aretha stood up to show everyone why she’s truly the queen diva.
Carole’s fellow Kennedy Award honorees, George Lucas, actress Rita Moreno, conductor Seji Ozawa and actress Cicely Tyson were also brought to their feet. Carole was completely ecstatic to watch Aretha perform the classic R&B hit, which Carole co-wrote in 1967.
Barack was teary-eyed at the start of the performance, but there was no crying at the end. Both he and Michelle Obama — who looked stunning — showered the Queen of Soul with love and applause when she finished. That’s the power of Aretha, who can move Presidents and Popes to tears and smiles. If you want to bring the soul home, pick up a copy of Aretha Franklin’s 30 Greatest Hits from Amazon.
Speaking of Popes, it’s hard to pick which performance was more soulful — this one or when Aretha serenaded Pope Francis. When His Holiness was visiting Philadelphia on Sept. 26, Aretha made sure that his trip would be memorable when she performed an inspirational version of “Amazing Grace” with a full gospel choir!
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There were no tears when Barack posed alongside Michelle and their two fashionable daughters, Sasha and Malia, for their Christmas card. In fact, Barack was all smiles when he and the first family were surrounded by a pack of adorable elves. So cute!
What do you think about Aretha’s Kennedy Center Honors performance, HollywoodLifers? Did it give you life?
