A humorous “Tonight Show” sketch isn’t sitting well with singer India.Arie.
The singer-songwriter took issue with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake’s Super Bowl skit which saw them having a conversation and singing about food and recreation-related dialogue intermittently. The clip was titled “Songversation,” and that’s what ticked off the “High Above” singer.
I hear the @jimmyfallon show appropriated my sacred word #songversation Last night for a skit. π€ just be clear ~ Im offended. π
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
“THIS not what I have cultivated this word for,” she added in a follow-up tweet Wednesday, Feb. 7. “Nope.”
After stating that scrolling through the #songversation made her “nauseous,” she added that “#songversation was not created as a place for @jimmyfallon to make jokes.”
“I demand that my life’s work be RESPECTED β do not TOY with #Songversation,” she tweeted directly at Fallon.
Fallon, “The Tonight Show,” nor Timberlake have responded to Arie.
And one fan took up for the late-night host, leading the singer to hit reply.
“No tea, no shade but I doubt Jimmy Fallon woke up and was like ‘Imma rip @indiaarie off today, mimosas anyone?’… I could see more than one person coming up with the name ‘Songversation’ especially in context to Jimmy’s game being about singing a conversation. It makes sense.”
My stance is NOT that it was intentional. It's that is offensive. I dont like it and i dont have to. And standing for myself is … valid. https://t.co/csAytVv3UN
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 6, 2018
Who ever rides with me im grateful. Who doesn't get – im cool with that too. But saying NOTHING, that doesnt serve my well being. https://t.co/csAytVv3UN
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 6, 2018
“Thank you for your cool tone,” she added after noting in another tweet that “I’m certain that I brought this word the consciousness. I don’t think its @jimmyfallon himself. It’s his writers.”
And she has lots of fans in her corner.
“Unacceptable,” one tweeted. “Apologies are in order. Her works are healing art for the world.”
“@jimmyfallon @jtimberlakeπ€¦π½ββοΈπ€¦π½ββοΈπ€¦π½ββοΈπ€¦π½ββοΈmy favorite artist in the whole wide world woke up feeling disrespected this morning…#Songversation is a movement of light, love and realness…turning it into a bunch of badly sung jokes is just π€¦π½ββοΈπ€¦π½ββοΈ.”
Arie tweeted about the importance of the phrase “songversation” in her work, noting she has two albums named after it: 2013’s “Songversation” and the 2017 EP, “SongVersation: Medicine.”
The singer also noted that her performances have been tied to the name for eight years.
#SongVersation is the name of 2 of my albums AND ALL of my performances – since 2010 – those who have witnessed ~ KNOW. I demand reapect. https://t.co/UoHdHWRN4Z
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
Arie further explained the sacredness of the phrase on OWN’s “SuperSoul Sessions.”
“Songversation is not a concert,” she said. “It’s not a lecture. It’s not a performance, even. This is a songversation. And a songversation is a practice that is part meditation, part prayer, part fellowship and part action.”