Establish the purpose of your research paper on Ms. Holiday. Remember that ideally, a research paper should comprise an argument. For example, you may wish to argue that Holiday's lack of technical training aided in sculpting her unique sound, which eventually made her famous. The thesis statement will be a statement of what you are arguing, and the body of the research paper will present your evidence for your argument.
Summarize the angle at which you will approach the musical artist. To get a better grip on that angle, you may want to ask yourself how your viewpoint of Holiday differs from other viewpoints you found in your research. In other words, what makes your viewpoint so different that it requires new material to approach it?
Begin your introductory paragraph by supplying the reader with introductory information about Billie Holiday and her career. You may wish to briefly expand upon her influence on the jazz scene in her day and what made her stand out so magnificently, thereby carefully leading into your take on her influences.
Compose your thesis statement close to the end of your introductory paragraph by stating the topic and the idea that will be expanded upon in the rest of your paper. Using the example above, you may say that, "Billie Holiday's musical stylings that later made her famous were greatly influenced by her lack of technical training in her earlier years."
Use the rest of your research paper to provide support for your statement. This may include her years in the jazz culture in Harlem and the influence of her first producer, John Hammond, leading up to how moldable she may have been with no technical direction.