"Genius: Aretha" series cover | Nat Geo
National Geographic's latest season of its anthology series, "Genius: Aretha," will explore the gospel roots and faith of music legend Aretha Franklin. The series, which airs next month, stars Oscar-nominee Cynthia Erivo, who portrays the queen of soul.
The Emmy-winning anthology series dramatizes the stories of the world’s most “brilliant innovators, their extraordinary achievements and their volatile, passionate and complex personal relationships,” the network says.
The third season of the limited series will premiere with back-to-back episodes over four consecutive nights, starting on March 21.
“Without knowing how to read music, Franklin taught herself to play the piano; at the young age of 12, she began to record songs and sing on gospel tours with her father. She signed her first record deal at age 18 with Columbia Records. In 1966, she moved to Atlantic Records, where she recorded many of her most iconic songs. In 1979, she began a 40-year friendship and partnership with Clive Davis, which produced a number of hit songs,” the series will follow her life as detailed in her bio.