Fresh off his Super Bowl halftime show stage at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Justin Timberlake appeared on a live episode of The Tonight Show with his pal Jimmy Fallon. No strangers to participating in viral hijinks, the duo had fun with a new game called “Songversation.” The game involves describing everything they’re doing in song.
While some people may find this amusing, singer-songwriter India.Arie was not laughing at all. She took to Twitter after she caught wind of the game to say that she thinks Fallon’s pre-taped “Songversation” sketch was appropriating the title of her fifth studio-album, SongVersation. She says that the word “songversation” is “sacred” and that she demands respect.
“I hear the @jimmyfallon show appropriated my sacred word #songversation Last night for a skit,” the singer wrote on Twitter Monday (Feb. 5). “Just be clear ~ Im offended…THIS not what I have cultivated this word for. Nope…#songversation was not created as a place for @jimmyfallon to make jokes. Smh.”
I hear the @jimmyfallon show appropriated my sacred word #songversation Last night for a skit. just be clear ~ Im offended.
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
THIS not what I have cultivated this word for. Nope https://t.co/Hs3DFOU0Xe
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
Nope scrolling thru these hashtags is makeing me nauseous. #songversation was not created as a place for @jimmyfallon to make jokes. Smh. https://t.co/W8cNlbHEBL
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
@jimmyfallon I demand that my lifes work be RESPECTED ~ do not TOY with #Songversation #soulbirdsworldwide RT
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
I know its not personal to you @jimmyfallon but it IS personal to me. Now that you know … please DO NOT do that. #Songversation https://t.co/ixHEcNSAQl
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
There will b no DRAGGING in my name. Im not about that. But I speak up for myself ~ #songversation is sacred. Respect it. Respect me. https://t.co/rCbX2QFqEj
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
RESPECT my lifes work. @jimmyfallon https://t.co/5WXh631eK7
— India.Arie (@indiaarie) February 5, 2018
#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
Ms. Arie takes her art very seriously. According to an 2013 interview with NPR, the singer said that the album was a culmination of all of the things she’s wanted to say on wax.
“I’ve never said anything that I didn’t want to say on a record, ever,” she said. “There are some things that I’ve wanted to say on records that I wanted to say, and a lot of that — kind of all of that — is on SongVersation.”
What do you think? Is this just a misunderstanding, or are Ms. Arie’s feelings valid? Sound off in the comments.