Leyla McCalla is a classically trained American folk musician who first rose to prominence playing cello with the Carolina Chocolate Drops.
However, in 2013, she left the group to focus on her solo career - and within a few months, she released the album Vari-Colored Songs: A Tribute to Langston Hughes, which saw Leyla set many of Hughes’ classic poems to her own original compositions.
Now, in 2024, Leyla has released a total of five studio albums - the latest, Sun Without the Heat, was released on April 12th.
In addition to her album release in 2024, Leyla graced the Big Ears Festival stage in Knoxville, TN for the second time - this time playing not once, but twice throughout the weekend. She is also a member of the Americana / folk band Our Native Daughter, along with Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell and Chattanooga native Amythyst Kiah.
Ahead of the Big Ears Festival, WUTC’s own Haley Solomon had an opportunity to speak with Leyla McCalla about how a serendipitous combination of formal and informal musical education led Leyla to her own unique sound.
