Untold Studios Celebrates Nina Simone’s 90th Birthday with Artful Visual for ‘I Put a Spell on You’

Drawing inspiration from Nina’s iconic looks, rising star Gabriella Kingsley translates her style through contemporary and artistic visuals, playing with mesmerising movement and dynamic backdrops to showcase the hypnotic lyrics of ‘I Put A Spell On You.’

Through careful casting, Gabriella selected three dancers to bring her vision to life. Each dancer performs their unique sequence in front of atmospheric LED screens which create five distinct visual worlds, showcasing different aspects of Nina’s legacy. Gabriella explains, “Asmara was casted for her powerful contemporary dance which is just mesmerising to watch and she really knows how to tell a story through her movement. Sophia is known for her popular afro dance moves which is a trend right now in the dance world and I felt it was important to appeal to the younger audience. And last, but not least, Priscilla, who has not danced for years, but her body structure and posture is just phenomenal. She is tall and slim and can create these beautiful shapes and poses.”

The film was commissioned by record label, Verve, to celebrate and pay homage to this renowned artist on what would be her 90th Birthday, helping to ensure her legacy lives on in contemporary culture. 

Gabriella explains further, “Working on Nina’s Simone’s iconic track ‘I Put a Spell on You’ was a dream come true for me. Concept-wise I knew straight away I wanted to capture strong, beautiful, Black women and that’s what sparked the idea of recreating her iconic looks because who represented that better than Nina herself. 

The crew and cast were meticulously chosen and they really executed my vision perfectly. Overall the process working with her estate, Verve and Untold Studios was a truly nourishing and liberating experience and I hope the world enjoys it as much as I did honouring the queen and legend that is Nina Simone.”