Rhiannon Giddens

What Rhiannon Giddens makes

Topics folk music, cultural heritage, social commentary, music history, advocacy

Rhiannon Giddens has made a singular, iconic career out of stretching her brand of folk music, with its miles-deep historical roots and contemporary sensibilities, into just about every field imaginable. A two-time GRAMMY Award & Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, & composer of opera (Omar), ballet (Black Lucy & the Bard), & film, Giddens has centered her work around the mission of lifting up people whose contributions to American musical history have previously been overlooked or erased, & advocating for a more accurate understanding of the country’s musical origins through art. Her fourth album, Hope is the Thing with Feathers, was inspired by the beauty of people coming together and drawing strength from each other. She is a published author; has written & performed music for the soundtrack of best-selling video game Red Dead Redemption II. She has appeared on the ABC hit drama Nashville & sang for the Obamas at the White House.

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