Leyla McCalla
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT
“Her voice is disarmingly natural, and her settings are elegantly succinct.”
Singer, cellist, and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla has not followed a typical path to global prominence as a classical and folk artist. But that’s precisely what makes her music what it is.
A child of Haitian immigrants involved in non-profit work—her father was the Executive Director of the New York-based National Coalition for Haitian Rights, while her mother founded Dwa Fanm, an anti-domestic violence human rights organization—it took time for Leyla to come to terms with the full depth of her heritage, her parents’ histories, and their influences on herself and her music.
Today, the stories, songs, struggles, and inspirations of her fellow Haitian people are found in every corner of her music, and the world has taken notice. Leyla’s unique musicianship and songwriting style draw from an eclectic range of influences, as evidenced by her proficiency in both the cello and banjo—two instruments featured prominently in her work.
Leyla McCalla: Tiny Desk Concert
Leyla performs an intimate four-song set at NPR’s renowned Tiny Desk studio.
Born in Queens, NY, Leyla McCalla was raised in a nearby New Jersey suburb before spending two of her teenage years in Ghana. She returned to the U.S. to attend Smith College and later pursued her passion for cello performance and chamber music at New York University. After wrapping up her studies, Leyla took a chance on a move to New Orleans, intending to busk on the streets of the French Quarter with her cello—a move that paid off substantially.
Immersing herself in Louisiana Creole culture, Leyla found inspiration in the musical styles of fiddlers like Canray Fontenot and Bébé Carrière. She began to apply their playing methods to the cello, resulting in the percussive style she often demonstrates in her music today. Her street performances eventually led to her crossing paths with Tim Duffy, the director of the Music Maker Relief Foundation, who connected her with the Carolina Chocolate Drops string band. Leyla went on to spend two years with the Grammy Award-winning group, which included appearing on their fourth studio album, Leaving Eden.
In 2013, Leyla left the Carolina Chocolate Drops to focus on her solo career. Her debut album, Vari-Colored Songs, a tribute to Langston Hughes, was released in Europe in 2013 and received album of the year accolades from both the London Times and Songlines magazine. The album was later released internationally by the Music Maker Relief Foundation in early 2014, followed by a supporting tour throughout the U.S., Europe, and Israel.
Leyla McCalla - 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes
Leyla McCalla performs a small set of songs at Tigermen's Den in New Orleans in celebration of her new Folkways release, 'Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes.’
Leyla’s second album, A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey, saw her drawing more inspiration from her Haitian roots. The 2016 album draws its title from a Haitian proverb and includes tracks sung in English, French, and Haitian Creole. It also features contributions from Marc Ribot, Rhiannon Giddens, Louis Michot of the Lost Bayou Ramblers, and New Orleans singer/songwriter Sarah Quintana.
In 2019, Leyla released Capitalist Blues, showcasing a dynamic set of songs influenced by Haitian, Brazilian, Cajun, zydeco, and calypso music styles. Produced by Jimmy Horn of King James & the Special Men, NPR’s First Listen described the album as one that “imaginatively maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora and summons bodily, social and emotional wisdom through its dance music, gently taking Anglocentricism down a notch in the process.” That same year, Leyla collaborated with Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell, and Amythyst Kiah, to form the band Our Native Daughters, releasing the highly acclaimed Songs of Our Native Daughters on Smithsonian Folkways.
2022 saw Leyla return to her solo work, releasing the groundbreaking album Breaking the Thermometer, which integrated original songs, traditional Haitian music, and historic broadcasts from Radio Haiti, the country’s first Kreyòl-speaking radio station. She celebrated the album’s release with a captivating performance at Harlem Stage in October of that year. “The more I researched this project, the more I found myself examining my own sense of Haitian-ness,” Leyla reflects. “I spent a lot of time recalling my experiences visiting Haiti as a child, thinking deeply about the moments in my life when I felt very Haitian and the moments when I didn’t. In the end, the music and the stories here all brought me to a more nuanced understanding of both the country and myself.”
Leyla McCalla - Money Is King
Music video for “Money is King,” from Leyla’s third album, “Capitalist Blues.”
“Haiti’s always seen as this far away place,” Leyla says, “but we’re far more connected as Americans than we realize. Haiti was the first independent Black nation in the western hemisphere. Its very existence was and remains a threat to colonial power. At the same time, though, it symbolizes a lot about injustice and oppression around the world. When we talk about ‘Black Lives Matter,’ Haiti is a huge part of that.”
Harlem Stage continues to host an array of diverse performances from Black Artists from all corners of the world — including right here in New York. Stay up to date on upcoming live and digital performances by subscribing to our weekly newsletter.
