Amythyst Kiah finally found herself.
First, the rising singer-songwriter overcame imposter syndrome after earning a 2020 Grammy nomination for the song “Black Myself,” opening for top-tier folk and Americana artists and gaining plaudits in The New York Times and other major media.
Now, she brings her headlining tour to Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah on Oct. 18. Then, a week after her appearance, the “the album I’ve always wanted to make,” Still + Bright, will be available.
Ancient Chinese author and philosopher Lao Tzu inspired the name. “I was deepening my meditation practice and reread the Tao Te Ching,” she said. “The passage about being ‘bright, but not dazzling’ made a profound impression. I had all this social media anxiety and thought ’what can I remove from my life to make it less stressful?’ Right then, I realized that being a peacock is not the way to go.”
Stillness refers to “sitting in one spot and living in the present moment, not having thoughts that spiral all over,” she said. “I’m trying to maintain focus and remember my sense of self.”
Kiah, 37, emerged from the rootsy, acoustic folk camp in 2013 after recording the album Dig while studying country music history and performance at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, where she still lives.
The collection, which showcases guitar and banjo picking, also introduces her powerful pipes. A proud Appalachian, Kiah drifted from acoustic instruments when she formed a band called Her Glass Chest, a name that bares an inner vulnerability. Some arrangements featured horns and strings.
Wary + Strange, a 2021 album, rolled out a harder-edged electric sound. Lazy comparisons to Tracy Chapman notwithstanding, Kiah is a singular artist sharing a spiritual journey by plugging in and turning up the volume.
“I listen to different kinds of music and could never pigeonhole myself into one thing,” she said. “I’m very curious and there’s so many different things to try, but it can be a double-edged sword if I’m so open that it’s difficult to make deliberate decisions.”
A deep, evolving thinker, she bristles at being called a rock star. “I like to write and read, talk philosophy, go to museums,” she said. “I’m really a nerd.”
The goal is to go with the flow and apply the wisdom of similar common-sense maxims. “I’m just a human being trying to find the best way to live by enjoying the good times and staying resilient when the bad times happen and try to turn it to the good.”
Kiah always wanted to lean into a stripped-down rock trio backing band that blended acoustic instruments, but “my brain was too fragmented to get that going,” she said. “I’ve always struggled with time management and being organized.”
In song lyrics, media interviews and a lengthy essay on her website, she’s candid about mental health and tries to enjoy the current ride, although setbacks will always remain: she grew up feeling alienated, her mother committed suicide (when Kiah was 17) and her father struggled with addiction (he’s fine and has toured with her in the past).
“I pledge allegiance to my soul, I’ll follow where she needs to go,” she sings in the song “Empire of Love” on the new disc. Moving from Wary + Strange to Still + Bright, Amythyst Kiah is on her way.
