Barack Obama knows there’s no shame in real men crying, especially when they’re mesmerized by something. Seemingly always stoic Obama has never had any issues containing his emotions, but one time he let himself shed a manly tear when faced with his weakness – watching Aretha Franklin perform.

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Barack Obama was a big fan of Aretha Franklin

The former US President always had a soft spot for The Queen of Soul herself. In a 2016 issue of The New Yorker, Obama shared his appreciation for Franklin with the most complementary words.

He wrote:

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Barack expressed that his connection to Aretha’s talent transcends the enjoyment of her songs, it connects him to the very sings that make him an individual and resonate with something very special within him.

Obama also highly respects what Franklin had to go through to become one of the best singers of all time. He recognizes her struggles as a woman of color at the young age and has nothing but respect for all her accomplishments.

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In 2018, when Aretha Franklin passed away, Obama took to Twitter to deliver a beautiful tribute to the late singer, which reads "Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace."

Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade—our power and our pain, our darkness and our light, our quest for redemption and our hard-won respect. May the Queen of Soul rest in eternal peace. pic.twitter.com/bfASqKlLc5

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 16, 2018

Are those tears, Barack?

In 2016, Aretha Franklin gave a showstopping performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., which Barack Obama attended with his beloved wife Michelle (we would’ve been surprised if they didn’t).

Within a minute of getting on stage and performing one of her hits (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman, Aretha made Obama shed a few tears as he was completely taken by her voice.

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You can actually see Barack trying to contain himself around the 1 minute mark on the video below. He then proceeded to visibly sing along and got very into the song, we actually wouldn’t mind listening to his voice at that moment!

Considering the appreciation Barack Obama has for the soul singer, we can only imagine how special it was for him when she performed at his inauguration. This must’ve been the honor of his life!

Of course, during the inauguration, Barack was much more contained, but we definitely think he was all giddy on the inside.

Barack Obama keeps up with trends

Unlike other politicians, Obama is very open about his love for the entertainment industry and especially music. Every year he shares his list of favorite new songs. If you’re interested, here are some of the artists he loved in 2019:

• Lizzo;
• Frank Ocean;
• Beyonce;
• Lil Nas X;
• Alicia Keys;
• Miguel, and others.

It’s quite refreshing seeing such a serious public figure being honest about enjoying pop culture. There’s no harm in having fun and loving life in all its forms, right? If you’re curious, Obama also shares his favorite TV shows and movies every year, so you can get into following what the former President thinks everyone should experience. We definitely are and we must say he has good taste!