Nina Simone objected to being compared with Billie Holiday, calling the comparison “an insult”. She said the two were grouped together because they were both Black, while she felt her style and stage presence were closer to opera singer Maria Callas; the comparison reflected the racial bias she faced in the music industry.

The article says Simone had once admired Holiday and performed songs from her repertoire, but her feelings about her became more complicated over time. It also describes how racism and the tendency to pit women performers against one another shaped the comparison, though it offers no further evidence about the pair’s personal relationship.