Nina was born in Tryon, North Carolina, on February 21, 1933 and died in Carry Le Rouet, France, on April 21, 2003. Her life was marked by adverse circumstances related to racism, which influenced her musical training, her struggle for the civil rights of people of African descent and many of the decisions she made throughout her life.

In her early years, Nina Simone was moved by an intense interest in classical music: at the age of two she began to play the piano and at the age of twelve she gave an anecdotal recital, as her parents, seated in the front row, were forced to leave because they were occupying seats that corresponded to whites. Nina stopped the recital until her parents returned to the front row.

This anecdote, in addition to the rejection she received at the Curtis Institute of Music for being black and a situation of poverty, led her to abandon classical music and approach jazz and blues, which she got to know while working in nightclubs.  Raped, exploited and even ruined by her own husband (Andrew Stroud), Nina Simone left the United States after suffering disagreements with artistic agents and record labels, but above all she left her country because she was tired of the racism of American society.