YaYa DaCosta channels Whitney Houston for ‘I’m Every Woman’ campaign

All eyes are on Yaya DaCosta as she takes on the title role of Whitney Houston in the latest of Lifetime’s controversial biopics.

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Read how DaCosta “became” Houston here.

To prep for the release, the model and actor took on an interesting Instagram campaign called “I’m Every Woman.” In it, she channels the essence of several larger-than-life woman performers in a series of black and white photos taken by celebrated photographer Jonathan Mannion.

Up top you’ll see DaCosta as Lucille Ball. And the accompanying caption to the photo reads as follows:

DaCosta also takes on Naomi Campbell, Nina Simone and Eartha Kitt.

In an exclusive interview with me (@adriennewrites on Twitter) she dished on how she came up with the ideas.

Why the nod to a Whitney song?

“I felt connected to her. I realized there were so many things I learned about her in my research that I connected with and I understood. I saw myself. And when I started to think about how she inspired me and why I made the choice to be a performing artist and who I am as a woman… I’m just overwhelmed with gratitude for all the examples of intelligent, beautiful, powerful women that I look to – both within and without my family. Whitney was one of those women.”

You performed “I’m Every Woman” in full in the movie.

“That song was the most fun I had on the shoot. I loved that song. She was a lover of women. She understood sisterhood. She wasn’t brainwashed into thinking that the world is such a competitive place that we can’t lift each other up. That song was just perfect. I just thought wow. Yea. I am Whitney. I also am these women.”