Amythyst Kiah

Born in Chattanooga and now based in Johnson City, Amythyst Kiah’s commanding stage presence is matched by her raw and powerful vocals; a deeply moving, hypnotic sound that stirs echoes of a distant and restless past.

Accompanied interchangeably with banjo or acoustic guitar her eclectic influences span decades, finding inspiration in old time music, alternative rock, folk, country and blues. 

Our Native Daughters, her recent collaboration with Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell (Birds of Chicago) released a hugely acclaimed full-length album produced by Rhiannon Giddens and Dirk Powell, Songs of Our Native Daughters. NPR described the opening track, Black Myself, written by Amythyst, as "the simmering defiance of self-respect in the face of racism.” The group has been nominated for Duo/Group Of The Year at the 2019 Americana Music Association Awards.

Amythyst’s star is also rising in the UK and has performed at Celtic Connections, Southern Fried Festival, Cambridge Folk Festival, Larmer Tree Festival, Hebcelt, the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, and SummerTyne. This summer she will perform at Sidmouth and Shrewsbury Folk Festivals, We Out Here and Broadstairs Folk Week as well as headline shows across the UK. 

She is a crowd favorite at Tennessee’s Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion and has shone at the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, Smithsonian Folk Life Festival, Winnipeg Folk Festival, and opening for artists such as the Indigo Girls, Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June, Old Crow Medicine Show, First Aid Kit, Darrell Scott and Tim O'Brien.

Provocative and fierce, Amythyst’s ability to cross boundaries is groundbreaking and simply unforgettable.