KYSHONA COLLABS WITH KEB' MO' & BRITTNEY SPENCER ON NEW SINGLE OUT TODAY + LP OUT APRIL 26
TOUR DATES:
4/19 - Athens, TN - Sue E. Trotter Black Box Theatre
4/26 - Wilkesboro, NC - Merlefest
4/27 - Charlottesville, VA - Front Porch
5/9 - Sarasota, FL - Fogartyville Cafe
5/10 - Ocala, FL - Levitt Amp Ocala Music Series
5/12 - Greenville, SC - Artisphere
5/14 - Decatur, GA - Eddie’s Attic
5/26 - Nashville, TN - 3rd & Lindsley
5/29 - Evanston, IL - Evanston Space
5/30 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark
6/1 - Grand Rapids, MI - Midtown Live
6/5 - Columbus, OH - Natalie's Grandview Charlie's Stage
6/6 - Pittsburgh PA - Club Cafe
6/7 - North Bethesda, MD - Amp by Strathmore
6/11 - New York, NY - Joe’s Pub
6/12 - Woodbridge, NJ - Woodbridge Wednesdays
6/13 Saratoga Springs, NY - Caffe Lena
6/14 - Portland, ME - One Longfellow Square
6/15 Cambridge, MA - Club Passim
6/19 - Durham, NC - Duke Gardens
6/21 - Athens, GA - AthFest Music and Arts Festival
6/22 - St. Augustine, FL - Live from the Waterworks: A Gamble Rogers Concert Series
7/25 - Whitesburg, KY - Levitt Amp Whitesburg
8/11 - Oconomowoc, WI - Twilight Concerts at Fowler Park
9/20 - Chicago, IL - Northeastern Illinois University
9/23-9/29 - Sisters, OR - Sisters Folk Festival and Song Academy
Nashville-based artist/music therapist/activist Kyshona has unveiled “Carolina (ft. Keb’ Mo’),” the newest track from her highly-anticipated, forthcoming LP, Legacy, due out April 26th via Soundly Music. In the song’s premiere, Holler called it “...a soul stirring exploration of the complexities of the idea of ‘home’ and belonging, and the power of storytelling and art to make sense of it all…’I went searching for redemption / Found what I was missing in a song,’ she sings as a steaming country funk beat bubbles beneath the surface before it boils over and it all ends up sounding something like Odetta cutting a '70s Stax slow jam.”
Kyshona calls “Carolina (ft. Keb’ Mo’),” co-written with Brittney Spencer, a love song - and a breakup letter - to her home state. "My relationship with South Carolina is a complicated one,” she says. “It was a hard place to grow up, but a beautiful place full of a cultural richness and family history to return to and visit…Sometimes you need a little distance to understand the value of the place that raised you."
“Carolina (ft. Keb’ Mo’)” follows “The Echo,” which tells the story of Kyshona’s Great Grandparents, who showed their families the importance of land ownership and seed planting, and lead single, "Comin' Out Swingin' (ft. Kelvin Armstrong)," which The Tennessean called “funk-driven soul.”
STREAM: “COMIN’ OUT SWINGIN’ (ft. KELVIN ARMSTRONG)”
Co-produced with GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer/mixer Rachael Moore, Legacy houses 13 songs and features guest contributions from Keb Mo', Ruthie Foster, Odessa Settles, and more, along with songs co-written with Aaron Lee Tasjan, Brittney Spencer, Caroline Spence, and others, including her late grandfather, Hawthorne “H.T.” Armstrong.
Realizing how fragile and fragmented our society is, and as our access to the people and places who shaped us can grow weaker and more distant the older we get, Kyshona crafted this album about legacy to capture the history, character, essence, and honest stories of her ancestors and family so generations that come after will have something to hold onto. “Maybe tracking my family’s stories into song will be a healing for not only me, but others who feel untethered or isolated, removed from their origins,” she says.” My hope is we can rediscover the past together, and in doing so understand more about ourselves in the future.”
Legacy, however, is not only an album — it is a multi-faceted project. In preparation, Kyshona worked with a genealogist at the Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center at The Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of African American History & Culture. She and her family have traced five generations, the oldest record dating back to the 1860 US Census Slave Schedules. Developing relationships with organizations that support communities seeking to do this type of research has also been a part of the process. Kyshona hopes to connect followers and fans with resources and experienced professionals dedicated to helping black Americans trace their ancestry and collect their stories, too.
Kyshona has also announced new tour dates, see a full list of upcoming shows below. Pre-save Legacy HERE, and be sure to follow Kyshona at the links below for the latest news and updates.
