The 77-year-old legend, Diana Ross, has announced her first album of new music in 15 years. Called Thank You, it features 13 songs recorded in her home studio.
Ms Ross says: “This collection of songs is my gift to you with appreciation and love. I am eternally grateful that I had the opportunity to record this glorious music at this time.”
She adds: “I dedicate this songbook of love to all of you, the listeners. As you hear my voice you hear my heart.”
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Thank You is Ms Ross’s 15th album, and the title track is available to stream now.
From her beginnings in The Supremes to her hit career as a solo artist, it’s hard to overstate why Ms Ross has risen to legendary status. These are just some of the ways she’s left her mark.
She’s been a music industry trailblazer
The Supremes were one of Motown’s biggest groups. With songs like Where Did Our Love Go and Stop! In The Name Of Love, the band had 12 No. 1 hits and helped make Motown a global phenomenon.
Her solo career has seen her garner six No. 1 hits, including Upside Down and Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
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As a woman of colour, Ms Ross’ success broke many boundaries – she was the first African American woman to co-host the Oscars in 1974; she was inducted into the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful female musician of all time in 1993; she has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; she was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. There’s barely an award she hasn’t won.
She has set countless trends
Each era of Ms Ross’s career has brought with it iconic looks. First, there were the big bouffants, matching outfits and heavily kohled eyes of The Supremes.
Then came her opulent disco phase in the 1970s and ’80s, when her fashion was big, bold and beautiful. We’re talking lots of sequins, furs and long, curly hair.
She’s a fashion chameleon too, wearing plenty of feminine outfits, but Ms Ross can also give us more masculine, tailored moments.
Now, Ms Ross has her onstage style down to a fine art – she loves to wear long, bedazzled gowns, gravity-defying headpieces, and adds touches of drama with feathers and ruffles. We can only hope her new album brings with it even more fabulous outfits.
She’s given us so many great songs
From the toe-tapping tunes of The Supremes to her solo songs, Ms Ross’s music is something of a great uniter – somehow everyone knows the words to her tracks.
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Her legacy is clear in the musical artists she’s influenced too, from Beyonce to Michael Jackson.
Are you a fan of Diana Ross? Share your favourite Diana Ross song in the comments section below.
– With PA
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