A century before Beyoncé, Josephine Baker became America’s first global pop star. She broke barriers, built a brand, and never asked permission.

Josephine Baker, trailblazing performer and civil rights activist, published her memoir, 'Fearless and Free,' in 1949. Now, the book is being released in the United States for the first time on Feb 4.

A rare, intimate picture of Baker emerges in her memoir, Fearless and Free, originally published in France in 1949 and now translated into English for the first time.