Less than a fortnight away from the Adelaide premiere of Ursula Yovich sings Nina Simone, we chat with the Darwin‑born performer about the rage, pride, and soft revolution that live inside Nina Simone’s songs. In this interview, Ursula Yovich explains how the show lets her have an open conversation with the audience, and Nina Simone, why she believes her songs will always be relevant, and how she connects to her music.
Ursula Yovich, you’re bringing your homage to the High Priestess of Soul, Nina Simone, to Adelaide Cabaret Festival for its Adelaide premiere. What drew you to the music of Nina Simone? And what made you decide to do a show around her songs?
I was drawn to Nina in my mid to late 20’s after hearing a song of hers that captivated me. The song, although dated in its sentiment, made me listen to the emotional story she was conveying, all the while singing lyrics that didn’t quite match what she was feeling. As a singer myself, it was the first time I realised that hitting pretty and perfect notes were not the most important part. The story was what was important. What was being said between the lines and sometimes between the notes.
I had a conversation with Adam Ventoura who is the MD and Bass player on the show and Karen Lee Andrews about doing a Nina Simone show where both Karen and I would sing Nina’s songs and we would have a response to those songs with our original songs… I pitched to Sydney Festival and somewhere along the way the pitch changed because it was the First Nations/Blak Out program. I still hope to do the original pitch…
The show is an open conversation with the audience and to some degree Nina. It’s my musings and thoughts on how the world is at this very moment. The show is soft, it’s gentle and I allow the messaging, the activism to come through via her songs. I believe her music is relevant now. And as long as there are oppressed people, as long as there are war and genocide, inequality, inequity, poverty, her songs will always be relevant. Her songs carry the rage at injustice, they are about pride, about speaking, about revolution starting from your own voice.
Which Nina Simone songs did you choose for this show, and how do they reflect both Simone’s civil rights legacy and your own experiences as a First Nations artist from Darwin?
I chose the songs that make me feel something like ‘Strange Fruit’, ‘Four Women’ and ‘Black is the Colour of my True Loves Hair.’ These are just a few of the songs I will be singing on the night. These songs are about a black experience, and I connect to them on this level.
What are the challenges in singing her songs?
The greatest challenge is interpretation. How do I sing these songs that are synonymous with her and make them my own while staying true to her messaging.
In an interview with Limelight Arts in 2025, you explained that this was not a tribute act but you telling her story and yours. What parallels do you see between Nina Simone’s fight against racism and challenges faced by First Nations performers today?
Without a doubt she was born into a time where the attitude towards black people was unashamedly out there. I like to think that times have changed and they have in some instances but there is a rise in these attitudes again. You only have to look at the ANZAC dawn service this year. There is a growing number of people who believe it’s ok to disrupt a sacred ceremony that belongs to all of us because of their prejudice.
How has the show evolved since its Sydney Festival debut?
Confidence. I’ll be a lot more confident.
You have an acting background with your roles in The Sapphires and Top End Wedding. How does live cabaret compare?
I did the first stage production of The Sapphires in 2004 but was never in the film. I’ve been a part of Top End Wedding and Top End Bub and few other shows and movies. Film work is great – it satisfies creatively and financially. But theatre and cabaret are exciting for the immediate interaction and connection you get with the audience and any mistake on stage becomes a challenge that you have to work though in real time.
How did you navigate the challenge of embodying Nina Simone’s raw emotional range – her rage, vulnerability, and triumph – while ensuring your First Nations storytelling voice remains distinctly yours?
My voice is mine. No matter what job I do. I can’t escape that nor do I ever want to. I never ever perform something that doesn’t suit my voice or the essence of who I am. I think I understand Nina to some degree otherwise her music wouldn’t capture me.
In weaving Simone’s French-influenced songs like Ne Me Quitte Pas into the set, how do you bridge her European artistic sojourns with your own cross-cultural roots in Burarra and Serbian heritage?
I am Burarra and Serbian. I don’t consciously think about this…I have loved many songs in different languages. As a kid I listened to singers from the Phillipines, Italy, Greece, Senegal, France, Serbia, Croatia, Aotearoa… I never know what they’re singing but I can feel it.
Beyond the songs, what untold stories from Simone’s life—perhaps her mental health struggles or exile—do you illuminate to make her legacy resonate with younger, festival-going crowds today?
I don’t talk about her mental health. That is not my story to tell. I only speak of her music and her activism. Her songs are relevant today. At the moment the world feels unstable and I believe art especially performing arts and music have the power to move people and to change people. I believe that’s the reason why the arts are often under attack.
In an interview with Limelight Arts, you said that your daughter’s father read Nina Simone’s biography and noted similarities in your ‘monsters’ from personal hurts. How did that personal revelation ignite the spark for this cross-cultural tribute?
I don’t really like to speak about my mental health, other than… sometimes the projects I align myself with are about some tough subjects. After a while that will affect your mental health in a negative way. I now try to balance the types of work I take on. I still haven’t figured out a way to protect myself but I will get there. Eventually.
What is your favourite Nina Simone song to listen to? And to sing?
My favourite would have to be ‘Black is the colour of my True Loves Hair.’ When Nina sings it, she is really saying that black is beautiful. I am beautiful. It’s a song I wish I knew as a young girl. I grew up not loving myself because I knew deep down that others didn’t find black desirable. My own stepmother would say some awful things about my skin and my features. Sometimes I think that’s why I am a performer… finding that validation and love from the audience. As I get older, I like more of myself but that’s because I don’t give a shit about most people’s opinions of me anymore.
Why should audiences come to the show at Adelaide Cabaret Festival?
If you love Nina come along… If you don’t want to feel like you’re alone in a world that feels uncertain come along. One of the loveliest things I heard from audiences in Sydney was that it was nice to feel like they were not alone in their fears and worries about the state of the world at the moment.
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We thanks Ursula Yovich for this interview and look forward to seeing Ursula Yovich sings Nina Simone next month.
KEY INFO FOR URSULA YOVICH SINGS NINA SIMONE
WHAT: Ursula Yovich sings Nina Simone
WHEN: 5 & 6 June at 7pm
WHERE: Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre
HOW: Purchase your tickets via this link
HOW MUCH : Ticket prices (exclusive of transaction fee) are:
- $54 for A Reserve, and
- $59 for Premium
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