Erykah Badu given Council of Fashion Designers of America’s fashion icon award

Erykah Badu has been given the fashion icon award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

She accepted the title in Manhattan earlier this week, and says she’s honoured.

“It means a lot to be celebrated as a fashion icon because I expressed myself most clearly through the way I dress. The way I approach life has a lot to do with what I've chosen to wear or how I've chosen to show up. Yeah. And that expression is sometimes very contagious to others, '' she said.

Badu will feature in the upcoming film, the piano lesson, alongside Samuel L Jackson; she also helped to compose the film's music.

“When I got the call to do music for it originally and to compose a few songs for it within the period of the film, which is roughly ‘20s to mid-‘30s and just began to do some research and got with a very good friend, Daniel Jones, and we composed three pieces. And after he got it back, he asked me if I could perform it in the segment. There was a part for me, Lorraine. I was like, ‘Oh, they made a part for me? That is so cool,” she marvels.

When asked if she’s willing to take on other acting roles, however, she gave a lukewarm response.

“Uh, yes. I see acting more as work. It’s a job. It’s different. It's not the thing that comes easy to me. ... But I'm not opposed to a good film if a good script comes along that I can tackle.”

Set in Pittsburgh following the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson tells the story of a family dispute over an heirloom piano.

It will be released in U.S. cinemas later in November.