In celebration of Black History Month, Smithsonian Folkways have released “Black Myself,” the latest single from Songs of Our Native Daughters. Written and performed by Amythyst Kiah, joined by Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell.
Amythyst says the song “is linked to the history of intraracial discrimination, the idea that being a lighter shade of black is more desirable because it means that you look closer to being white than black…I thought of my experience as a black girl in a white suburban neighborhood in the 1990s, and how, once puberty hit, the doors of my neighbors would soon be suddenly closed to me. And thus the refrain and title of this song are intended to be an anthem for those who have been alienated and othered because of the color of their skin.”
DC-area residents can come on out to Songbyrd Music House & Record Cafe for a pre-release listening party on Wednesday, Februrary 20th!
Singles “Quasheba, Quasheba” and “Mama’s Cryin’ Long” are also available for streaming! And make sure you check out this incredible mini-documentary, which gives a glimpse into the creation of the album, a collaborative effort between four “sisters-in-song” who, as Giddens says, consider the record as “part of a larger movement to reclaim the black female history of this country.”
Songs of Our Native Daughters comes out February 22nd, but you can pre-order the album now – https://folkways.si.edu/songs-of-our-native-daughters | Amazon (UK)