Leyla McCalla

Leyla McCalla is a fantastic singer-songwriter from New Orleans with Haitian roots. The singer, who plays cello, banjo and guitar, is known for her poetic lyrics, which often deal with post-colonial, pan-African themes. She has gathered an excellent band around her, who brilliantly realize the stylistic versatility of her music with acoustic ballads through to psychedelic and danceable indie rock. Leyla McCalla has toured Europe successfully for years and has played at numerous important folk and jazz festivals.

She — a bilingual multi-instrumentalist, and alumna of Grammy award-winning African-American string band, the Carolina Chocolate Drops — has risen to produce a distinctive sound that reflects the union of her roots and experience. Deeply influenced by Creole music, as well as by American jazz and folk, McCalla’s music is at once earthy, elegant, soulful and witty — it vibrates with three centuries of history, yet also feels strikingly fresh, distinctive and contemporary.

In her work Breaking the Thermometer (2022), Leyla McCalla explores the legacy of Radio Haiti and her identity as a Haitian-American woman. It is a meditation on family and democracy that reflects her diverse experiences. Leyla McCalla's latest album Sun Without The Heat (Anti Records, April 2024) offers an eclectic mix of musical styles, including afrobeat, tropicalismo, folk and country. Particular highlights are the highlife-inspired guitars and emotional cello playing that underpin McCalla's stories and her search for identity. However, the album is not just a collection of songs, but also a profound reflection on identity and self-discovery. McCalla uses her knowledge of musical traditions to create fresh combinations that are both joyful and thought-provoking. Sun Without The Heat is a free-spirited and joyful listening experience that takes listeners on a journey through McCalla's eclectic life experiences and her respect for eloquent simplicity. Following on from her previous work Breaking the Thermometer, McCalla stays true to her lineage by combining personal and historical themes with a radical artistic performance.