Editor’s note: we’re pleased to welcome guest host Lizzie No to Basic Folk for her debut episode with Amythyst Kiah! Lizzie will be on the podcast interviewing folk musicians once a month. We’re thrilled to bring her perspective and insight to our listeners. Enjoy! 

Amythyst Kiah is a star rising so quickly in the roots music universe that it is almost impossible to keep up with her. Raised in Johnson City, Tennessee, Amythyst taught herself guitar and banjo before studying the bluegrass tradition at East Tennessee State University. She released two solo albums, both rich with her bluesy guitar playing and affecting vocal performance.

In 2019 Amythyst grabbed the attention of the folk music community as a member of the supergroup Our Native Daughters alongside Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell. Their captivating album, ‘Songs of Our Native Daughters,’ tells the often-ignored stories of Black women in American history in the language of traditional folk.

Amythyst’s new album ‘Wary + Strange’ is her first record released with Rounder Records, and includes the Grammy-nominated anthem “Black Myself.” I couldn’t wait to discuss this genre-fluid exploration of loneliness and loss with Amythyst. We also got to talk about anime, the marvel cinematic universe, touring with her dad, fashion, and the nitty gritty of how Amythyst recorded, then re-recorded, and then re-re-recorded, this phenomenal album.

Official video for “Black Myself”

Amythyst’s new album, Wary + Strange