Kyshona – Carolina
Nashville artist/music therapist/activist and all-around powerhouse, Kyshona, unleashes her new single, “Carolina.” The song, which features the legendary Keb’ Mo’, was co-written with Brittney Spencer and appears on her forthcoming LP Legacy, out April 26th via Soundly Music. Kyshona, who is from Irmo, South Carolina, penned this as a love song – and a breakup letter – to her home state.
“My relationship with South Carolina is a complicated one. 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,” she explains. “Sometimes, you need a little distance to understand the value of the place that raised you.”
Our fragmented society has increasingly tenuous connections to our personal histories. Kyshona created Legacy to capture the history, character, and honest stories of her ancestors so generations that come after will know their stories. This project is an invitation to others to do the same, in their own way.
To prepare for the album, Kyshona met 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 was able to trace her family back five generations, the oldest record dating back to the 1860 US Census Slave Schedules. In Legacy, Kyshona tells the long story of her family’s journey. Through photos, film, ancestry and genealogy research, and the power of place, Kyshona shares her story while inviting listeners and concert goers to join her in exploration of self, healing and growth.
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
#kyshonamusic