Originally, the word diva was reserved for famous female opera singers. Enter Kathleen Battle, one of the most famous sopranos, black or white, to grace an opera house. In fact, she’s a five-time Grammy winner and an Emmy Award winner for her performance at the Metropolitan Opera in 1991 that aired on PBS. She’s covered the works of Mozart, Bach and Handel with some of the world’s greatest orchestras; shared the stage with opera greats like Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo; and performed for two popes, Benedict XVI and John Paul II. There’s nothing Battle’s silky soprano can’t touch from classical arias to spirituals and improvised jazz solos.
