Question: who's the original singer of killing me softly
Answer: According to Lori Lieberman , who performed the original recording in 1971 , the song was born of a poem she wrote after experiencing a strong reaction to the Don McLean song `` Empty Chairs '' , writing some poetic ideas on a napkin at the Troubadour Club after seeing McLean perform the song , then related this information to Gimbel , who took her feelings and put them into words .