Music Friday: India.Arie Tells Young Women They Are ‘More Valuable Than a Diamond’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you sensational songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today India.Arie delivers a message of inspiration and empowerment in her 2008 Grammy-nominated “Beautiful Flower.” In the song, she tells young women struggling with self-worth issues that they are beautiful, brilliant, powerful, resilient and “more valuable than a diamond.”

Written to support Oprah Winfrey’s Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, “Beautiful Flower” delivers the motivational message that young South African girls have the talent, intelligence and drive to become a new generation of leaders.

India.Arie sings, “‘Cause you’re beautiful like a flower / More valuable than a diamond / You are powerful like a fire / You will heal the world with your mind, and / There is nothing in the world that you cannot do / When you believe in you.”

Born India Arie Simpson, India.Arie (punctuation intended) is a talented singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She’s also an activist for global health and human dignity. India.Aire was named an Ambassador for UNICEF and traveled to Africa extensively to address the AIDS crisis.

Oprah Winfrey became an avid fan of India.Arie’s music and invited her to appear on her TV show to discuss her music and activism. In 2007, she appeared in Winfrey’s documentary, “Building a Dream: The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy.” The documentary chronicled Winfrey’s five-year mission to create an academy for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

“Putting spiritual and empowerment ideals into music concepts… that’s always been the core message of my music—and it seemed I was talking to others…” India.Arie told chopra.com. “But the truth is that it was my message to myself because I was yearning to know the peace of a self-defined life.”

The daughter of a Motown songstress and a former NBA basketball player, the 45-year-old Denver native has won four Grammy Awards from her 23 nominations, and has sold more than 10 million records worldwide.

“I’m happy that the people who inspired me like my music,” she told The Atlanta Constitution. “When Elton John said I was one of his favorite artists — now, that was success.”

Please check out the video of India.Arie’s enchanting live performance of “Beautiful Flower.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Beautiful Flower”
Written by India Arie Simpson and Joyce Anne Simpson. Performed by India.Arie.

This is a song for every girl who’s
Ever been through something she thought she couldn’t make it through, yeah<
I sing these words because
I was that girl, too
Wanting something better than this
But who do I turn to

Now we’re moving from the darkness into the light, yeah
This is the defining moment of our lives

‘Cause you’re beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You will heal the world with your mind, and

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

This is a song for every girl who
Who’s ever been through something she thought she couldn’t make it through
Girl, you can make it through
I sing these words because I know you’re the one who
Knows there’s something better than this
And you’re gonna define it, yeah

Now we’re moving from the darkness into the light
This is the defining moment of our lives

‘Cause you’re beautiful like a flower
More valuable than a diamond
You are powerful like a fire
You will heal the world with your mind, and

There is nothing in the world that you cannot do
When you believe in you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, who are beautiful
Yeah, you, who are brilliant
Yeah, you, who are powerful
Yeah, you, who are resilient

Yeah, you, yeah, you
Hey, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you
Yeah, you, yeah, you

Credit: Photo by Chris Hakkens, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.