Yola, Allison Russell and the Black Women of Nashville Are Changing the Face of Roots Music — and the Grammys

By Chris Willman via https://variety.com/

Artists like Rhiannon Giddens, Valerie June, Mickey Guyton, Joy Oladokun, Rissi Palmer, Amythyst Kiah and Adia Victoria are forces to be reckoned with in Americana and country — and the movement is reflected in this year’s Grammy nominations.

When the Nashville chapter of the Recording Academy held its annual pre-Grammys celebration for Tennessee-based nominees in early March, one of those contenders, Yola, filed a report from the party on Instagram. “The vibes were strong,” she wrote, “and so was the melanin!”

Looking at the nominations in the country, folk and American roots categories, it was clear what the people of color in the chapter had to celebrate — and the Black women most of all. Two years ago, when Yola received her first four Grammy nominations (including best new artist), the Black singer-songwriter was something of an outlier; this year she’s part of a growing tide in the country, folk and American roots categories. The 2022,,,,

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