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Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change

This podcast is a part of the Tennessee Theatre’s Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change series, providing an opportunity for artists from marginalized and underserved communities to share their art with others. Through podcast episodes, concerts/performances, visual art displays, discussions and panels focusing on important issues, and educational opportunities, artists have the chance to engage with the community. The Tennessee Theatre is proud to provide a space for audiences and artists to better understand one another.

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  2. The Big Ears Collection #4: Leyla McCalla

The Big Ears Collection #4: Leyla McCalla

Jul 3, 2024

For this episode of Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change, we talked to songwriter, activist, and multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla during the 2024 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Previously, Leyla performed as part of the GRAMMY award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops. She is also a founding member of the Black, all-female American roots ensemble, Our Native Daughters. Her previous solo work includes her 2022 album Breaking the Thermometer, which explores the history of Radio Haiti and the journalists who risked their lives to report the news in Haitian Kreyol. The album was part of a multidisciplinary dance, theater, and music project commissioned by Duke Performances. Leyla’s most recent album, Sun Without the Heat (2024), draws inspiration from Black feminist Afrofuturist writers. Leyla describes her new album as a reflection of her experiences as an activist trying to also embrace joy and pleasure, and a celebration of “thriving against all odds.” In this conversation, Leyla reflects on the inspiration behind her new record, life as a working musician while parenting three young children, and what it means to be effective as an activist while also nurturing oneself.

All music featured on this episode was composed by William Wright.