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"Don&amp;apos;t use the D-word around Patti LaBelle. The two-time Grammy winner and 2003 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee had some interesting things to say about what it means to be a diva these days -- and why she doesn&amp;apos;t want to associate herself with that label anymore.\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;That word is used so loosely that I don&amp;apos;t even consider myself a diva,&amp;quot; the 69-year-old singer said in an interview with PrideSource. &amp;quot;I always considered myself a woman who sings her heart out and who gives 120 percent. &amp;apos;Diva&amp;apos; is a word that I wouldn&amp;apos;t wanna call myself because it&amp;apos;s so loosely used. It&amp;apos;s not cute anymore.&amp;quot;&amp;#xA0;\r\n\r\nAsked whether there&amp;apos;s negative connotation to it now, she replied, &amp;quot;Yeah, because all these little heifers who can&amp;apos;t sing are called divas! It doesn&amp;apos;t mean anything to me and probably to some of the other ladies who have been doing it for as long as I have: Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick. You know, I&amp;apos;m speaking for me -- I don&amp;apos;t know if they like to be called divas -- but I know I wouldn&amp;apos;t call them divas, because it&amp;apos;s not in good company.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nLaBelle went on to note that being called a &amp;quot;diva&amp;quot; used to mean something -- but no longer. It was respectable &amp;quot;for opera singers and for ladies who earned it, but that was way, way back when,&amp;quot; she told PrideSource. &amp;quot;Now you can look up to them, but you might not see what you wanna see. A hot mess! People who are doing it and doing it with about 40 people onstage with them to hide their pitifulness -- that&amp;apos;s not a word, but you know what I mean.&amp;quot;\r\nThe &amp;quot;Lady Marmalade&amp;quot; singer is currently working on a new jazz CD to be released later this year. She&amp;apos;s also doing a dance album and an album of ballads, she revealed."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/patti-labelle-slams-todays-divas-as-little-heifers-who-cant-sing-2014241>