From lockdown to warm lullabies, Rhiannon Giddens’ art feels like the marriage of a melancholy past and reflective present. This US folk musician’s celebrated career has always tackled the most intricate issues of our time. With her 2022 Grammy-winning album, They’re Calling Me Home, Giddens and Italian multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi explored what the pandemic felt like and the despair which resulted. Their date at Tradfest takes that on further.

^{Picture: Ebru Yildiz}

‘There are those who lost people before their time,’ says Giddens who first emerged as part of The Carolina Chocolate Drops. ‘Our rituals around death and loss were all interrupted. There’s a lot of trauma that’s been untalked about. As an artist, I think it’s important to face that and to say “you know, it’s OK”. We need to celebrate life and all that, but you have to take a minute and go “that was terrible and we’re gonna be dealing with it for a long time”.’ 

During the pandemic’s height, Giddens and Turrisi stayed in different parts of Ireland with their kids, finding comfort in old songs about love and loss. ‘People have been dealing with this stuff for millennia,’ adds Giddens. ‘So, it connects us to a larger idea of humanity which I think we really needed.’ The album features timeless songs about death, an Italian lullaby, old-time numbers such as ‘I Shall Not Be Moved’, and a new original by Giddens. Collectively, the album stands as a confrontation followed by a warm embrace. Influenced by Nina Simone and Stephen Sondheim, Giddens is drawn towards expressing stories that would have otherwise gone untold. However, she recognises the importance of tackling issues with respect and altruism. Last year she composed ‘Omar,’ an opera based on the autobiography of an enslaved Muslim in America.

‘There are aspects of the story where I thought “am I the right one to tell the story?” But then you think “well, if I don’t do it, does it happen?” The work that I do, creating pieces from our history, is channelling ancestral energy. Doing this stuff is why I’m here.’    

The banjo, accordion and frame drums are a signature of Giddens and Turrisi’s work. Although the banjo originated from Black culture, she admits that it has not always been easy to connect with the Black community through her music. While certain stereotypes remain surrounding folk music, Giddens jokes that ‘as soon as Beyoncé picks up the banjo, I can retire because Black people will be interested in it! But until then, I just keep doing my thing.’  

Rhiannon Giddens & Francesco Turrisi will tour the UK until Sunday 14 May.