Leyla McCalla is a woman of many talents, especially when it comes to mastering the cello, tenor banjo, and guitar as a multilingual singer and songwriter. McCalla is also a founding member of Our Native Daughters (with Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, and Allison Russell), as well as an alum of the Grammy Award-winning group The Carolina Chocolate Drops.
Born in NYC to Haitian immigrants, her sound pulsates with tropicalisma-inspired samba on “Tree,” a song you’ll find on her upcoming album about a woman who, while overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, turns herself into a tree because she doesn't think anyone would ever love her. Sigh.