Schedule

Sunday, August 14 at 7:20 pm (Main Stage)

Yola, the soul-stirring singer-songwriter-musician, is a singular force. Advised by her parents that a career in music would be inadvisable, she followed her instincts and persevered, and has emerged as one the music world’s most distinctive new voices. Though her music is described as country-soul, R&B, and Americana, it’s too easy — and not wholly accurate — to place her in any particular category. Her vocals are exquisite and when she first showcased them on her first record, Walk Through the Fire, on Dan Auerbach’s Easy Eye Sound label, critics and music lovers alike took notice. NPR gushed and said what we were all thinking. "It's the work of an artist sure to stun audiences for years to come.” The record received four Grammy nominations. Yola had arrived.

Her latest record, Stand For Myself, is not so much a departure from Walk Through Fire, as it is, in Yola’s words, “a paradigm shift.” With elements of roots, pop, soul and gospel interwoven through the new songs, the record is a showcase for her not-so-secret power — those incredible vocals. She’s got power, range, phrasing and a deep well of emotion she taps at will. “The album is like a window into my mind, my life experiences, my politics, my hopeful and sentimental sides, and my hope for humanity at large,” she says.

Lyrically unafraid and frank, she plumbs the depths of the human experience, and shares her own as a Black British woman. It’s a celebration of self and one she hopes the listener will embrace as they live their own, unique experiences.

Without a doubt, Yola is one of the most exciting new artists to have made her mark in the last couple off decades. What’s most thrilling is that her career — the one her parents tried to dissuade her from — is just beginning. We cannot wait to hear what she does next.