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Produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day, Weezer) and recorded at his Nashville studio, Amythyst Kiah鈥檚 new album Still + Bright explores the vast expanse of her inner world: her deep-rooted affinity for Eastern philosophies and spiritual traditions, a near-mystical connection with the natural world, the life lessons learned in her formative years as a self-described 鈥渁nime-nerd mall goth.鈥� In dreaming up the backdrop to her revelatory storytelling, Kiah and Walker arrived at a darkly cinematic and exhilarating twist on the rootsy alt-rock of her 2021 breakthrough album Wary + Strange鈥攁n LP that landed on Rolling Stone鈥檚 list of the 25 Best Country and Americana Albums of 2021 and drew acclaim from major outlets like Pitchfork. With its sonic palette encompassing everything from fuzzed-out guitars and industrial-leaning beats to gilded pedal steel and Kiah鈥檚 exquisitely graceful banjo work, Still + Bright fully affirms her as an artist of both daring originality and uncompromising depth.

On Wary + Strange, Kiah offered up a collection of spellbinding songs detailing her experience with grief and trauma and alienation, each illuminating the extraordinary impact of her songwriting. An electrifying showcase for her singular musicality and soul-stirring voice, Kiah鈥檚 Rounder Records debut soon found many leading critics hailing her as a formidable new talent, adding to a list of accolades that includes earning a Grammy nomination for her powerhouse anthem 鈥淏lack Myself.鈥� But when it came time to create her follow-up, the Tennessee-born singer/songwriter felt compelled toward a profound shift in her artistry. 鈥淥n the last record it felt so cathartic to write about all the pain I was dealing with, but this time the songs came from a place of finding joy in the music,鈥� says Kiah. 鈥淚n the past I felt so mired down with anxiety that I sometimes held back from what I really wanted to write about; I felt like I needed to play it safe and keep certain thoughts to myself. But now I鈥檓 at a point where I鈥檓 confident in what I value and love, and because of that I鈥檝e made the album I鈥檝e always wanted to make.鈥�

Although Kiah鈥檚 third full-length marks a departure from the anguished emotionality of its predecessor (an album informed by losing her mother to suicide at age 17), Kiah imparts all of Still + Bright with a hypnotic intensity born from boldly stating her convictions. To that end, the LP opens on the stormy grandeur of 鈥淧lay God and Destroy the World鈥�: an immediately captivating coming-of-age tale featuring guest vocals from Kentucky-bred singer/songwriter S.G. Goodman. With its title taken from a song Kiah penned and performed at a talent show in high school, the hard-charging track dispenses a bit of searing commentary on the hypocrisy she witnessed throughout her childhood鈥攁nd ultimately speaks to the sense of hope and possibility she discovered in unexpected places (e.g., the humanistic sci-fi of The Matrix). 鈥淚 grew up in a good neighborhood and had parents with good jobs, but in many respects my family was different,鈥� says Kiah, who was raised in Chattanooga and later moved to Johnson City. 鈥淚n order to fit in, you had to go to church and have conservative values鈥攁nd I know that being Black wasn鈥檛 doing us any favors either. This song was written for the 15-year-old version of me who suspected that there was a big world out there that allowed for many beliefs and a more connected humanity.鈥�

On songs like 鈥淪 P A C E,鈥� Kiah turns inward and ponders her search for peace of mind in times of maddening uncertainty. 鈥淎s someone whose identity is tied up in being a touring musician, the pandemic created a lot of anxiety where I started questioning who I was if I wasn鈥檛 out on the road,鈥� says Kiah. 鈥淭here were moments when I dealt with that by scrolling through Instagram, but over time I started to treasure the quiet. Meditation became an important part of my life, and I eventually wrote 鈥楽 P A C E鈥� about learning to be more present.鈥� Partly written on banjo, 鈥淪 P A C E鈥� unfolds as a soulful outpouring laced with lush mandolin lines, lovely fiddle melodies, and a powerfully soaring vocal performance from Kiah. 鈥淥ne of my main goals for this album was to show a new side of myself as a singer,鈥� she notes. 鈥淚鈥檝e always loved really strong, gospel-style vocals, and I put a lot of work into increasing my range for this record.鈥�

Another track spotlighting the stunning force of her voice, 鈥淓mpire of Love鈥� presents what Kiah refers to as 鈥渕y personal theme song鈥�: an impassioned statement of devotion to her journey as a spiritual seeker, gorgeously wrought in brooding guitar riffs and fiercely delivered poetry (鈥淢y religion is none at all/I build my own cathedrals and let them fall鈥 pledge allegiance to my soul/I鈥檒l follow where she needs to go/I鈥檓 a pilgrim for the empire of love鈥�). Inspired by her ever-deepening connection to the Appalachian landscape鈥攁nd by her interest in Western humanities and Eastern religions鈥斺�淓mpire of Love鈥� finds Kiah constructing her own belief system firmly rooted in compassion and curiosity. 鈥淚 believe in carving a path in life that honors my own experiences in the context of the wider world,鈥� says Kiah, who co-wrote 鈥淓mpire of Love鈥� with Sean McConnell. 鈥淎s a seeker in the mountains, my sense of spiritual connection stems from nature, which is connected to all of the cosmos. And there is no religious or social dogma that can change that.鈥�

All throughout Still + Bright, Kiah reveals her rare ability to spin her fascinations into songs uncovering essential truths about human nature. On 鈥淚 Will Not Go Down,鈥� for instance, she looks back on a barbaric moment in history and unleashes a furiously stomping folk epic, featuring background vocals and nimble guitar work from bluegrass phenomenon Billy Strings. 鈥淚 read about the Crusades in high school, and I was disgusted at the prospect of coercing people into spilling an unimaginable amount of blood and brainwashing them into believing they were serving their god鈥攚hen in fact they were simply doing the bidding of warmongers,鈥� says Kiah. 鈥淚 wrote the chorus in my high school journal, and it became a song about people-pleasing to a fault, then reclaiming your autonomy and finding a balance between serving yourself and serving others.鈥� Meanwhile, on 鈥淪ilk and Petals,鈥� Ellen Angelico鈥檚 feverish guitar tones merge with strangely euphoric grooves in a gothic love song sparked from Kiah鈥檚 viewing of the supernatural horror-drama of The Haunting of Bly Manor. 鈥溾�楽ilk and Petals鈥� was inspired by the story of the Lady in the Lake, the ghost of a woman named Viola Lloyd,鈥� Kiah explains. 鈥淎fter falling ill with tuberculosis, Viola leaves her chest of her finest clothes and jewelry to her daughter, then becomes violent as she witnesses the affection between her husband Arthur and her sister Perdita. While Arthur is away on business, Perdita smothers Viola in her sleep, only to later be strangled to death by Viola鈥檚 ghost. The Lady in the Lake then wanders the hallways for centuries searching for her daughter, killing anyone who moves into the house along the way. I wrote 鈥楽ilk and Petals鈥� thinking about the idea of ghosts being unable to leave this realm because they鈥檙e hanging onto something they鈥檝e lost, and the song came from being so intrigued by that very intimate intermingling of love and death.鈥�

For Kiah, the making of Still + Bright involved a careful transformation of the songwriting process she adopted after composing her first song on a Fender acoustic at age 13. The latest turn in a dynamic career that鈥檚 included joining Our Native Daughters (an all-women-of-color supergroup also featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell), the album marks her first time opening up her approach and working with co-writers, including punk legend Tim Armstrong, Sadler Vaden (a guitarist/vocalist for Jason Isbell鈥檚 400 Unit), former Pentatonix member Avi Kaplan, and Sean McConnell (a singer/songwriter who鈥檚 also written with Brittney Spencer and Bethany Cosentino). 鈥淚n a way I almost felt like I had to relearn how to write songs, because the experience had changed so much for me after taking better care of my mental and physical wellbeing over the past few years,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t felt completely different to write from a place of fulfillment and wanting to have fun with what I was creating.鈥�

While Still + Bright undoubtedly finds Kiah pushing into new emotional and musical terrain, the album also makes for a vital new addition to a body of work largely dedicated to exploring the struggle and joy of true self-discovery. 鈥淲ith all of my music, I鈥檇 love to leave people with the feeling that it鈥檚 okay to go off the beaten path and to structure your life in a way that feels right to you,鈥� says Kiah. 鈥淎nd just like with the last record, I hope that these songs can help people out if they鈥檙e going through a difficult time. That鈥檚 what I always hope for more than anything: for my music to continue to be a part of the healing process for anyone who might need it.鈥�  

Kathi Littlejohn, an enrolled citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been telling Cherokee stories for more than 40 years at events, festivals, and schools. She has been leading Cherokee history tours for five years to historically and culturally significant places in Western North Carolina. She has produced four CDs of Cherokee stories: 鈥楥herokee Legends,鈥� Volume I, II, and III and 鈥楥herokee Stories of the Supernatural,鈥� available at select gift shops. She also completed a series of YouTube videos named 鈥淐herokee History and Stories, 鈥淲hat Happened Here?鈥�

鈥淥ne of my first jobs as a teenager was working at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, which I absolutely loved. I was a tour guide and on bad weather days when it was real slow, it was so much fun for me to sit with the people that were doing the crafts or some of the older guides and listen to stories.鈥� Littlejohn began telling stories as part of a college class assignment on children鈥檚 literature. Since then, she has told stories across the region, sharing her knowledge of the stories and the Cherokee鈥檚 oral tradition. Littlejohn recently produced a series of videos set in Cherokee and Clay counties, recounting the Cherokee history and legends associated with certain locations. She hopes these episodes will be a resource for anyone seeking to learn about Cherokee history and a way to keep the stories alive.

Founded in the spring of 2023, the Cherokee Language Repertory Choir is a unique musical ensemble dedicated to preserving and revitalizing Cherokee language and cultural traditions through song. Rooted in the rich heritage of shaped note singing, the choir brings a powerful twist to this historic musical form by performing entirely in the Cherokee language.

This innovative approach not only honors a documented tradition of shaped note singing within Cherokee communities but also breathes new life into the language as a living, expressive part of Western North Carolina鈥檚 cultural landscape. By blending sacred music with language preservation, the choir offers a meaningful and moving experience that connects past and present.

To learn more about the choir and the broader efforts to support the Cherokee language, visit: