Nina Simone in 1965 © Kroon, Ron / Anefo

The long-anticipated Nina Simone biopic Nina will be coming to theaters soon, with "Guardians of the Galaxy" actress Zoe Saldana in the lead role. The choice of a Latin-American actor to play Simone, an African American, has sparked a lot of debate -- much of it revolving around race, ethnicity, and personal identity. This kind of discussion might have pleased the real Nina Simone, who spent a good part of her music career agitating for the rights of African Americans.

We've still got some time to wait until we get to see if Saldana can try to walk in Simone’s shoes, so let’s get ready with this list of fascinating facts about the legendary musician.

Nina Simone Wasn’t Her Real Name

Before she was known to the world as Nina Simone, the people of Tryon, North Carolina knew her as Eunice Waymon. Born in 1933, Eunice's musical talent was apparent from a very young age. She played piano by ear and sang in her mother's church, and later refined her skills under a private music tutor who introduced her to the music of Bach and other composers.

After graduating high school, Waymon applied to attend Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute but was not admitted. Later in life, she said that she was rejected on the basis of her race. Determined to continue her education, she applied to, and was accepted at Juilliard. While in school, she performed in night clubs under the stage name "Nina Simone" ("Nina" was an old boyfriend’s nickname for her, and she took the name"Simone" from the French actress Simone Signoret.)

Most Of Her Commercially Successful Singles Were Covers

Simone was discovered by the music industry during her nightclub years. Throughout her career, she performed a lot of songs written and performed by other artists. Eight out of her top ten hits were covers, but no one can deny she made them her own, be it by her unmistakable voice, expert musical arrangement, or lyrical poetic license. Simone’s catalogue was deep and featured eclectic selections from gospel, jazz, blues, musical theater and, later, rock and roll. Simone’s choice of music was as much due to her wide-ranging tastes as it was evocative of her many moods, from the sweetness of her first big hit, George and Ira Gershwin’s "I Loves You, Porgy" to the seductive sorcery of Screamin' Jay Hawkins's "I Put a Spell On You."

She Didn’t Care For Popular Music

Simone cared little for popular music, but played it in order to fund her studies in classical music. She rejected the term "jazz" completely, stating that it was a white term used to define black people. She called her work "black classical music."

Her Social Circle Included Intellectuals, Artists and Revolutionaries

Under the influence of her friend Lorraine Hansberry, Simone grew more politically aware and became a public figure in the Civil Rights movement. Her outspoken activism and the social conscience of her music attracted the respect of many prominent black leaders, revolutionaries, and intellectuals: Stokely Carmichael, Langston Hughes, H. Rap Brown, James Baldwin and Louis Farrakhan, among them. Simone counted some of them as dear friends, and their thoughts and struggles inspired her to work ever harder to make a difference with her music.

She Rejected Peaceful Protest In Favor of Violent Revolution

A few of Simone’s contemporaries preached a philosophy of non-violent resistance but she felt such tactics were tantamount to racial suicide, particularly in the face of tragedies like the assassination of civil rights leader Medgar Evers, and the bombing of the 16th Street church in Alabama. She advocated violent revolution and the establishment of a separate black nation.

She Wasn’t Afraid To Challenge Her Audience

Simone channeled her fury into music. Songs like "Mississippi Goddam," "Four Women," and "To Be Young, Gifted and Black" never made the charts in the United States, but they weren't written for that. These were protest songs, and if they were a shock to the system of white fans who showed up to hear her sing "I Loves You, Porgy," then so be it.

She Struggled With Mental Illness

Simone suffered from mood swings and sleeping problems, and had a reputation for unpredictable, volatile behavior. In the sixties, Simone was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and began taking medication to alleviate the symptoms. She kept her condition a secret throughout her life.

She Gave Up On Life In America

Frustrated with America’s racial problems, Simone left the country for good in the early seventies. She spent some time traveling the world before settling down in France, where she lived until her death in 2003 at the age of seventy.