Solange Sings The Praises Of Zora Neale Hurston

(Radio.com) Solange appeared on a BBC documentary titled Seriously', on Tuesday (April 18). The broadcast honored the life and work of Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston, who is revered as one of the pre-eminent writers of twentieth-century African-American literature.

Solange explained that when she encountered Hurston's work she was blown away. "I started like a lot of women start, like their eyes are watching God." The singer added that values the 'poetic-ness and its bluntness" in her writing.

During the doc, Solange spoke about the importance of the role Hurston played in her life, and the influence she had on her music. "As a black woman and as a black womanist and feminist, I felt incredibly empowered by Zora's work," Solange said.

She further acknowledged the impact of the author's work on her own saying, "One of things that I find really interesting and empowered by in Zora's work is this idea of breaking down and disassembling the angry black woman. Which is something that I felt really empowered to do in my own work." Listen to the six-minute clip here.