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Adia Victoria

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Adia Victoria On Writing "Different Kind Of Love" adia-victoria-making-silences-pain-love-behind-different-kind-love

Adia Victoria On Making 'Silences' & The Pain & Love Behind "Different Kind Of Love"

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We sat down with the Nashville-based singer/songwriter backstage at Newport Folk to dig into her highly acclaimed sophomore LP and find out how art can imitate heartache
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Aug 1, 2019 - 5:02 pm

An artist's job is to speak her truth. That's exactly what Adia Victoria does on Silences, the stunning follow-up to her 2016 full-length debut Beyond The Bloodhouds.

Adia Victoria On Writing "Different Kind Of Love"

"The time that I spent writing and recording this album was the time that I felt the greatest monumental shift in my life after the first record, and you're no longer just a private person  You've got a career," Victoria said. "And so there's a lot of internal changes that happen, and for me, I felt like one of the greatest [changes] was I lost my connection with myself. I didn't trust my internal voice. I was so worried about what other people would think, and so for me, this album represents my determination to speak the unspeakable, to push past the doubts and the anxiety of being out in the public and learning to speak my truth again."

The standout track "Different Kind Of Love" which she wrote while she was, "grappling with being dumped, to put it plainly," give a glimpse into her delicate darkness. According to Victoria, the big questions this album and this song ask are as much about an internal struggle than a relationship on the surface.

"At the end of the song, when I'm asking, 'between the end of the world/what will it be/who do you love,' I'm actually asking myself There's nothing like a little heartache to inspire some incredible art," she said with a self-depricating laugh.

If you missed her intense and evokative set at Newport Folk, you can catch Victoria select dates this fall. She's also gearing up to head out on the road with Tank And The Bangas, so stay tuned!

Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby & Amanda Shires Of The Highwomen Are "Redesigning Women" | Newport Folk 2019

 

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Dolly Parton At Newport Folk 2019

Photo: Douglas Mason/WireImage

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Newport Folk 2019: Relive The Music & Camaraderie newport-folk-2019-relive-all-surprises-highlights-exclusives

Newport Folk 2019: Relive All The Surprises, Highlights & Exclusives

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From Dolly's big surprise to Brandi's big weekend, join us at the 60th Anniversary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, Rhode Island, as we round up the moments you may have missed, plus peek in on our exclusive backstage access
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 29, 2019 - 5:35 pm

It’s hard to believe the first-ever Newport Folk Festival took place 60 years ago, mainly because the vibe at this year's fest feels so future-facing, so switched-on, and so decidedly in-the-now. But in truth, Newport Folk has been a breeding ground for revolutionary change since the beginning. On-the-ground and by-the-sea at Fort Adams, you can't get far without talking to someone about Bob Dylan going electric here in 1965, or Mississippi John Hurt bringing Delta blues to a whole new audience three years earlier in 1963, or Judy Collins introducing two young songwriters to the Newport crowd a few years later who just happened to be Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, or... or...

Newport Folk 2019: Recording Academy "On The Road"

History aside, the first force of nature you notice about this year’s Newport Folk is the powerful and dynamic female-driven lineup, highlighted by Friday’s headlining debut of the Highwomen, a new supergroup featuring Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. Saturday’s surprise headlining slot, mysteriously marked on the schedule as four female symbols, turned out to be the first all-female collaboration in the festival’s history. Also, remarkable performances by Sheryl Crow, Kacey Musgraves, Jade Bird, Maggie Rodgers, I’m With Her, Lucy Dacus and more. 

But the surprise of the year—and each year at Newport there are many—was the Saturday night “Collaboration” when none other than Dolly Parton, joined by her frequent collaborator Linda Perry, jumped up on stage with Crow, Carlile, Collins and more, providing Newport ’19’s most memorable moment. 

yeah… no big deal…..#LEGENDS https://t.co/Gca5VY6H7b

— Newport Folk Fest (@Newportfolkfest) July 28, 2019

Not to be outdone, Sunday was magical in its own way, highlighted by Hozier’s soulful set with special guest Mavis Staples and Lake Street Dive’s Rachel Price. But the most chill-producing musical moment Sunday beloved to Carlile, the same way the entire arc of Newport ’19 seemed to belong to the incredibly warm, gracious and talented GRAMMY winner. She joined Hozier on-stage for a rendition of her GRAMMY-winning song “The Joke,” trading verses with Hozier, then silencing the crowd with her vocal delivery of the songs climax before an uproar of applause. 

Brandi Carlile On Forgiveness & "The Joke"

Festivalgoers had plenty to cheer for at this year’s Newport Folk, but what they didn’t see was the action backstage. It’s not uncommon to see impromptu rehearsals, joyous reunions and excited first meetings between artists while walking through the all-access areas of the festival. The Recording Academy setup shop to speak with some of Newport’s brightest stars, one-on-one, for exclusive interviews.

For instance, we caught up with Friday’s main event, The Highwomen, to hear about their new singles and forthcoming album. We spoke with well-traveled Texas country breakout artist Charley Crockett, who also came well-dressed in a brand-new bright-red suit. We sat down with rising star and Queen of Country Soul, Yola, who ended up making guest appearances everywhere during the weekend, winning over new fans in droves.

Yola On Being The Queen Of Country Soul

We were also honored to talk with Judy Collins about her rich history at Newport dating back to the days of Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. We even got to talk with Our Native Daughters, the powerful new group featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell to hear about their moving debut album and performance.

For all of this coverage and much, much more, including interviews with Amy Ray, Molly Tuttle, Lukas Nelson and many more, visit our exclusive photo gallery and see who else stopped by to say hello and snap some pics in our portrait studio.

.@molly_tuttle, @iamyola, @lukasnelson, @adiavictoria, and many more artists came through to discuss music, life, culture what makes @Newportfolkfest feel like home. https://t.co/48X4Pm5ghW

— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) July 28, 2019

At the end of the day, Newport is about the music and the people, and backstage in a beautiful side room of the Fort, artist after artist tells us how attentive the audiences are and how well the staff treat everyone. This is the spirit behind the festival that — 60 years after it’s inception — continues to bring the music community together, push the boundaries of artistic conventions, give a voice to artists to fight for what they believe and build lasting friendships and connections with all those who make the journey to Newport. See you next year!

Backstage At Newport Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

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Yola

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Meet The Queen Of Country Soul: Yola yola-ascends-walk-through-fire-become-queen-country-soul-newport-folk-2019

Yola Ascends To 'Walk Through Fire' & Become The Queen Of Country Soul | Newport Folk 2019

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Backstage at her Newport Folk Festival debut, Yola talks her new Dan Auerbach-produced album, transcending genre, her love for Elton John and more
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 28, 2019 - 1:09 pm

The spirit and soul of Yola's breakout album Walk Through Fire was nothing if not well-earned. Even the title came from overcoming hardship, as her kitchen literally caught fire before the project, a symbol of the adversity the Bristol-born singer/songwriter faced—and overcame to create her own masterpiece. 

Yola On Being The Queen Of Country Soul

Yola graced us with her infectious energy backstage at Newport Folk Fest after her show-stopping set and opened up about her breakout album, working with The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and what it means to be the Queen of Country Soul.

Love love love @TheHighwomen https://t.co/l6GfrUvbOm

— Yola (@iamyola) July 27, 2019

More: Backstage At Newpork Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

Congratulations on your album, Walk Through Fire. What are you most proud of in how this album came out?

I think how people are connecting with it. One of my specialist subjects is that connecting to what I'm saying. And I hope by doing that then that helps people connect as well with what I mean. And that gives us a relationship across airwaves, across oceans, across an arena.

And so, that's the most important thing, for people to be connecting and for things to be going crazy. We're not into six months yet and things are going super crazy.

But that's not just a hype machine situation. It's so down to people connecting in a real way and I think it's very easy for that to not happen. For people to get swept away with hype.

What can you say about the collaboration with Dan Auerbach? It sounds like you guys wrote a ton of songs together.

Yes, we did.

How was it working with Dan on this album?

He's just a machine. I always thought I was kind of a quick writer once I got into my flow, my flow state, if you will. Yeah, he's a machine and his sonic palette, his kind of delicacy in the mix is unrivaled, it's unbelievable what he can do.

I was actually a fan of his album that came out, his solo album that came out, "Waiting on a Song." When I listened to just all the layers and I was like, "I love this, wouldn't it be amazing if I could do an album like this with him?"

Anyway, that's what Dan and his people bump into me in '17. I must've just put that into the Ether or something, that was serendipitous at the very least.

He's a complete machine and the upside, especially when it comes to things like production means, I could be hands-off. I don't have to be concerned and idea of what you going to come across is going to be turned into something other than something utterly beautiful and so yeah... It's the most relaxing production experience I've ever had because you deliver your vocal and you know everything is going to sound beautiful.

It's in good hands. 

Very, very, very capable hands indeed.

"Faraway Look," I think that was the first song that I heard of yours. Can you tell me about how that came together in the studio with Dan?

When we were writing, Dan and I would be in the room and we'd invite a third party, if you will. And that third party would be the spice, so me and Dan had talked about our common ground musically. The things that we loved, even the things that we loathed. So, then that would form the kind of people he would invite.

And Pat McLaughlin is a dreamy kind of guy and so yeah, it became... we had, obviously Pat came in with this song and that we had Dan Penn and Joe Allen and Roger Cook. So, really kind of stellar writers and so the idea was to kind of bring in the spice would occur. And allow me to explore the range of things that I'm into like classic pop music, classic country, classic soul music.

And so, the way that lyrics tend to come with me... and thankfully with both Dan and Pat is, what I like to call the mumble write. Where you're kind of dowsing for the vibe and I think most of the songs came like this.

In this case, maybe Pat is strumming something and going [mumbling] and starting to mumble something and so then out of the mumble... and then you carry on, you pick up that mumble [mumbling], making no sense at all. But trying to decipher a more elegant meaning out of their aesthetic, out of the shapes that are coming to you. And really they're actually batting around the idea in the back of your mind.

And there's some deep meaning there that you're trying to discern through the fog and that's how much the songs came together, it was Dan or Pat strumming of the 30 songs and in some cases, me strumming. And just feeling out what we were doing. And then obviously something salient-like comes forward.

So, in this case it was the chorus melody, that was the first thing to come. And then we're starting to try to figure out where that goes but this whole process was like we were trying to unveil it, more than going in with a preconceived idea of the genre that we are going to have a look at that day or what the whole album was going to be. It was like we were going to write a whole bunch of songs and then we're going to figure out what the hell we'd done.

And see whether there was a sense of continuity through it, which there was. And so, that was the kind of saving grace with the writing of that song. I think of this record it was very open because people have been describing this as a country soul record. But then you listen to "Faraway Look" and it's not country or soul. It's classic pop.

While I think Queen of County Soul is really a perfect moniker for you, it captures a lot of what you do, but there's always so much more. How do you feel about genre today?

It's like you're trying to help people understand something they just need to listen to. And it's feels like we are dissecting to understand like we're in Biology and we're doing the frog dissection. And in that dissecting of the thing where it separating out, all of everything. Putting that over there, that over there, that over there. And they didn't start that way. They all started together.

And we're separating it out to be able understand the constituent parts and so that feels like the opposite of what I'm trying to do with music. I'm trying to find the common ground. I'm trying to bring all those constituent parts and show how they were linked to all the tissue all the fascia. And, so that's what I'm passionate about in music, is that gray area, that's why I love the band, that's why I love Little Feat, that's why I love staple singers, that's why I love Aretha. They didn't stick... that's why I love Elton John. C'mon, right?

There constantly listen to Honky Chateau, right? It's got this and then it's got this. Everyone I love, Bee Gees- Man, that early Bee Gee stuff, that "Run to Me." That's a bowl of soul. And I was thinking disco and I'm like, "Boo, there's more." "Run to Me" is a massive tune.

For sure. So, how does it feel to experience this type of accelerated rise to success, and did you ever think that was possible when you were going through some of the harder times in your life, dealing with homelessness and loss of your mother.

Well when I was four I saw this [passion for music]. I was like, "Yep. This is entirely feasible. Sure, why not? I feel ready. Let's do this." And so I'm kind of my 4-year-old self right now and I went kind of... I grew up and moved away from that person, which was a mistake. 4-year-old me was on point.

Yeah, instincts like that are usually correct.

Yeah. I nailed it, and I just got talked out of being that person. You should be ashamed of your dark skin, you should me ashamed of your natural hair. You should try and sing more R&B. You should drop some weight. All the kind of things that are shaming and the number of times that I get pulled up by women of color, certainly people darker than Oprah kind of, which is the line in the sand.

"Thank you, thank you for being upfront, thank you for not being in the back, thank you for just being, not being apologetic about it or shrinking in some way." And yeah, that's been a journey, that's been a long road to get it to that point.

So, in that process of being talked out of this willingness to just be myself, I went through bad company. And that bad company pushes you into that realm and when I was in that moment of homelessness, the thing that was making me sad was that, the bad company. Was that sense of lack of connection with the people around me, the people I was working with. People that I was social with who were also people I was working with. That's always been the thing, that has been the heartbreaker, as much as the loss of my mother.

That whole sense and period of neglect, so this period is very much been about that rise to accepting yourself and that's been reflected in how quickly this has risen that's what people want to see. They want to see love, love and connection, to people, to the people you're working with, to yourself.

Maybe it took the 30s to get to that, but yeah. It's been unreal and all the sparkly stuff aside, which there's lots of sparkly things. I didn't think I would be playing Bridgestone or Ryman multiple times or whatever. All of this stuff is mind blowing to me but the connection has always been top, that the most self-actualization.

You mention the Bridgestone, Kacey Musgraves, Maggie Rogers gig. Can you talk a little bit about preparing for that big of a show and playing an arena?

When I was early 20s, late teens, I had a little bit of arena experience but as kind of fronting other peoples' outfits. So, I was that fronting gun for hire. And so you'd have to learn to prowl the stage and all your gestures had to be super massive because people might not see you. If you're just doing this, no one is seeing that ten rows back kind of thing.

So, yeah that was one massive thing that I had to pick up that I'm going to be able to draw back on for this show and yeah and we got the full band, so we should be ready to kick booty.

Charley Crockett's Walk Through 'The Valley': "That's What Artists Do" | Newport Folk 2019​

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Charley Crockett

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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A Walk Through 'The Valley' With Charley Crockett charley-crocketts-walk-through-valley-thats-what-artists-do-newport-folk-2019

Charley Crockett's Walk Through 'The Valley': "That's What Artists Do" | Newport Folk 2019

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"I think everybody in life has to walk through the valley, and a lot of times, we got to do it by ourself. That's part of the struggle and the beauty of being a human being," the country troubador told us at Newport Folk Fest
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 27, 2019 - 3:00 pm

Some voices are unmistakable. True modern troubadour Charley Crockett has one such voice, and he knows how to use it. Street-trained and road-worn, Crockett's musical journey has bounced him around the globe, from his homeland of Texas, to New Orleans, Barcelona, Paris and more. At every stop in his journey, he's sharpened his skills as a singer of storytelling songs. But his latest twist in the road might also be his most cathartic.

Charley Crockett On His Walk Through 'The Valley'

On Sept. 20, he will release The Valley, his fourth album in three years, which he recorded in the weeks leading up to what would be a life-saving heart surgery. Sung by a man who's made a global voyage with the uncertainty of his own return, these songs read as the next chapter of his chronicles. According to Crocket, channelling his life experiences, no matter how dire, comes with the territory.

"It's what artists do," he says, when asked the complicated question of how such intense uncertainty shaped the songs and performances of his new album.

Just after Crockett's first-ever performance at Newport Folk Festival, we sat down with the sharp-dressed man to hear about his forthcoming project, the journey it took to make it and how singing songs on subways and in train stations taught him everything he knows about making music.

This is your Newport Folk debut - what makes this festival special to you?

Oh, it has to be the heritage. It has to be the history, my man, it really does. And I've been looking out over this harbor since we got here this morning, it's just a real special place. So I'm thinking about some of those greats like Lightnin' Hopkins and a lot of the Bob Dylan and the folk artists, and the just the roots music artists that transformed America through this festival and that decade and that era, that lives with me. That's what I know about the festival… and I was shocked to get invited. So thanks to whoever made that happen.

Yesterday, you announced your new album The Valley is coming out on Sept. 20. What can your fans that have been following your career expect from this album?

I think everybody in life has to walk through the valley, and a lot of times, we got to do it by ourself. That's part of the struggle and the beauty of being a human being. And I've recently just been through some things in my life, and lots of people are going through stuff, but I had some life-saving heart surgeries that ultimately, to be honest with you, it just kind of transformed the way I see my life and the wold around me. Well, I recorded these songs about a week before those operations, just really uncertain about where I was going. If I was going to stay here, go up to the house, or just the quality of life. So, I made those recordings and I urged the people around me to put it out.

Hey, you can pre-order my upcoming album “The Valley” now: https://t.co/T5OVussdu6
Pre-save on @Spotify and hear “Borrowed Time” and “The Valley” today: https://t.co/wZXq5pm77H pic.twitter.com/pSDZIRKKmt

— Charley Crockett (@CharleyCrockett) July 26, 2019

How do you think that intense uncertainty manifested musically for you on this album?

That's what artists do, and it's our responsibility to reflect our times. That's what artists are here for, I think, or whatever you want to call it. So, that's all I'm doing. I'm just painting pictures of the life that I'm seeing, and I have learned from my journey to pull from tradition to find myself. But I am a man of my times, so I have to project this time too. That's all I can do, is reflect living now. And a lot of the spirituals that I've learned over the years playing in the street and traveling like I have, refer to life as the valley. A lot of the Carter Family stuff that I've really gotten into. Just that spirituality, it's a universal thing when you talk about something like the valley, or that mountain to climb. And we don't want the mountain to disappear, we want the strength to climb it.

Wow, that's an incredible answer. You've lived and played music all over the world. What's your approach to playing to a festival crowd where you've got some people who know you very well and are singing along, and you've got some people hearing you for the very first time?

I suspect most of them are hearing me for the first time, and it's why somebody like me, I might have a lot of anticipation coming to this place. I learned how to do this in public, like actually. A lot of people might be afraid to get out in public and play on a street corner or in a subway platform or inside a subway car. I have traveled around the world and just counting on people to lend you a hand, and when you come at music from that direction, people aren't asking you to be there. So, when people interact with you, that's a very real exchange that I can feel and see and understand.

I guess the short way to answer that question for you is, I've spent my whole life learning to stand behind my guitar, and the reality is half of what we do is the people listening. Literally, half of it. I'm only doing half of it because that's the whole thing. It wouldn't be an art if there wasn't somebody listening to it. And once somebody hears it, it honestly belongs to them as much as it does to you. If it means something to somebody, I'm lucky enough to have that going on.

"It wouldn't be an art if there wasn't somebody listening to it. And once somebody hears it, it honestly belongs to them as much as it does to you. If it means something to somebody, I'm lucky enough to have that going on."

What was the selection process like for your 2018 covers album, Lil G.L.'s Blue Bonanza? Are these songs you've been playing your whole life?

Yeah. To be honest with you, what it is mostly is songs I've known for years, and that's why I play so much stuff that comes from anywhere from gospel to country to blues to soul music or traditional jazz or whatever you want to call it. It's mostly songs that I've just been picking up over the years that I just always thought were so good, and look, I write a lot of songs. I write a whole lot of songs, but I just don't think I'm worth anything if I'm not learning the great songs from before me, for myself personally.

And a lot of the giants, the people that I see as maybe my mentors or heroes were anybody from even a Dolly Parton or a Etta James or Hank Williams or somebody like that, Willie Nelson, these people are amazing songwriters. But if you look at their catalog, half the stuff they ever recorded they didn't write, and there is something to be said for when a great artist knows when a song is so great it has to be sung. Because sometimes the song is best sung by somebody that didn't write it, and sometimes the only person that can sing it well is the writer.

You know of some kind that I can see that's growing, I just figure that each time I put out a record, it's doing better than the last one, and that's a real blessing. So I'm going to do what I've been doing, which is I live on the highway and I play really hard. I been doing that ever since my mama got me a guitar at a pawn shop, going toward the valley nonstop. I'm going to Europe in a few days. I got to get home to my lady for a few days and tell her I love her, and then I bet before we know it again it'll be Newport next year.

We look forward to seeing you there and good luck on everything.

Thanks a lot, I appreciate y'all taking the time to speak with me and I'll be twice as good next time.

Backstage At Newpork Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

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Our Native Daughters

(L-R) Rhiannon GIddens,Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla, Amythyst Kiah
Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Backstage At Newport Folk Festival 2019 backstage-newport-folk-festivals-60th-anniversary

Backstage At Newport Folk Festival's 60th Anniversary

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Find out who stopped by to see us behind-the-scenes of one of the most legendary music festivals of any genre or era, Newport Folk
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jul 27, 2019 - 9:16 am

Walk backstage with the Recording Academy at the 60th anniversary Newport Folk Festival in Newport, R.I., this weekend, as we take you inside Fort Adams for exclusive interviews and coverage of the 60th anniversary of the historic festival. From the Queen of Country Soul to the leader of Promise Of The Real, find out which artists came through to discuss music, life, culture what makes this community-driven festival feel like home.

*All photos by Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy unless otherwise noted

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GRAMMY-winning folk icon Judy Collins stopped by to chat about the first time she attended Newport Folk in 1963, rubbing shoulders with Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, what the fest means to her and more - read the full interview here.

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Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith said hello and posed for some portraits after delivering a special 10th anniversary set of their entire (and incredible) 2009 album North Hills on the Quad Stage.

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Hayley Heynderickx and her band brightened up our day backstage, posing for portraits and talking about her debut album, I Need To Start A Garden. 

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Kenya-born, Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter J.S. Ondara swung by to talk about what Newport Folk means to him, his prolific songwriting habits and more.

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Colombia joropo group Cimarrón treated us to an unforgettable impromtu performance backstage. Be sure to spin up their latest album, Orinoco.

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Colorado-based singer/songwriter Gregory Alan Isokov hung out after his set on the Fort Stage to pose for some photos and talk everything from touring to farming to songwring and more.

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Three-fourths of The Highwomen stopped by to talk about their bold and beautiful two singles "Redesigning Women" and "Crowded Table," their message of inclusivity and their upcoming full-length album, out Sept. 6. 

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The Nude Party came by to snap a few shots with the historic Fort Adams as the backdrop. Check out the North Carolina rock outfit's 2018 self-titled debut and catch them on the road and at festivals this summer. 

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California-born, Nashville-based bluegrass master Molly Tuttle spent some time with us to talk about her debut album When You're Ready, her International Bluegrass Music Awards win and nominations, mental health and more.

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Yola graced us with her infectious energy and opened up about her breakout album Walk Through Fire, working with Dan Auerbach and what it means to her to be the Queen of Country Soul.

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Photo: Doublas Mason/Wireimage

Saturday's big suprise appearance did not dissappoint! The one-and-only Dolly Parton joined a female collaboration to remember, providing the biggest surprise of the weekend.

GRAMMYs

Lukas Nelson and Promise Of The Real hung out to tell us about the meaning and purpose behind Turn Off The News (And Build A Garden), the single "Bad Case," and why they’re inspired by the trajectory and music of The Band. 

GRAMMYs

Adia Victoria came through after her riveting set on the Fort Stage to discuss the meaning behind her stellar album, Silences.

GRAMMYs

Yola joined The Highwomen on stage to close out Friday night on the Quad Stage with an all-voices-on-deck sing-along of "Redesigning Women," one of the many special Newport moments. 

GRAMMYs

Moments before he delivered for a guest-heavy show-stealing performance, soulful singer/songwriter Hozier sat down with us to talk about his latest album, Wasteland, Baby!, Newport's magic and what he had up his sleeve for the afternoon set on the Fort Stage.

GRAMMYs

Devon Gilfillian gave a memorable performance on the Fort Stage, kicking off Saturday with energy and soul. We caught up with him afterwards to talk about his big hit "Troublemaker" and what he's got planned for us next. 

GRAMMYs

Photo: Nate Hertweck/Recording Academy

We spoke with the incomparabe Todd Snider about his new album, Cash Cabin Sessions, Vol. 3, just before his set before a packed house on the Harbor Stage - read the exclusive interview here.

GRAMMYs

Ohio trio CAAMP swung by to talk about their album By & By, which dropped the same day as their Newport appearance, and discuss the global message of love behind its single "Wunderbar."

GRAMMYs

Madison Cunningham discussed her forthcoming album, Who Are You Now, a different kind of love song with "Different Kind Of Love," and the courage it took to cover Joni Mitchell.

GRAMMYs

Ruston Kelly swept through the fort with a smile, talked touring, writing and the process of making his introspective masterpiece Dying Star.

GRAMMYs

Rhiannon Giddens, Allison Russell, Leyla McCalla and Amethyst Kiah of Our Native Daughters sat down to discuss their incredible new collaborative project Songs Of Our Native Daughters and what it meant to cap their debut run of shows at Newport Folk. Read the full interview here.

GRAMMYs

Matthew Houck, a.k.a. Phosphorescent, came through to take some pictures and talk about what will follow his 2018 album C'est La Vie.

GRAMMYs

Amy Ray came through to talk all things Amy Ray Band, including her latest album HOLLER, plus future Indigo Girls plans, GRAMMY history and more.

GRAMMYs

Charley Crockett was dressed to the nines in a brand-new custom suit backstage at Newport to talk about playing The Valley, his upcoming album recorded just before his life-saving heart surgery.

GRAMMYs

Photo: Douglas Mason/WireImage

Maggie Rogers wowed the crowd at Newport, tearing up the Fort Stage with songs from her 2019 debut album, Heard It In A Past Life.

GRAMMYs

Bluegrass badboy Billy Strings went deep with us on the details behind his forthcoming album, HOME, what it means to take care of yourself on the road and more.

GRAMMYs

A fresh new supergroup played just their fifth or sixth show at Newport Folk, Bonny Light Horseman featuring Josh Kaufman, Eric Johnson and Anias Mitchell. We spend some time talking with the trio to hear how they dreamed up this new collaboration and find out what's next. Stay tuned for the full interview!

GRAMMYs

New Englanders The Ballroom Thieves sat down to talk about the kindness and gratitude that makes Newport special, how music can have a social impact and songwriting on the road.

GRAMMYs

Well-dressed Nashville singer/songwriter Aaron Lee Tasjan chatted with us about the influence of songwriter like John Prine and Todd Snider, sharing the bill with Cheap Trick, rehearsing and touring. 

GRAMMYs

Liz Cooper, leader of Liz Cooper & the Stampede, sat down with us to discuss her band's latest live EP, Live In Chicago, including what the windy city has meant to her career, life on the road and more.

GRAMMYs

Nashville singer/songwriter Parker Milsap dropped in after his set to reveal how his electrifying cover of Sly Stone’s “Everyday People” came to be and relay his thoughts and feelings about playing at such an historic folk festival.

Erin Rae

Another Nashville singer/songwriter creating a big buzz, Erin Rae said hello and answered some questions about her new album Putting On Airs, how she got connected with John Paul White and more. Check out her interview here.

GRAMMYs

The O'My's stopped by to dish about their Above Ground EP, collaborating with Chance The Rapper and what's in-store next for the Chicago outfit.

GRAMMYs

Experimental rock duo Illiterate Light paid us a visit to talk about their unique stage setup and snap a few pics.

GRAMMYs

Australia's Angie McMahon made a sparkling appearance in our backstage portrait studio. Check out our exclusive interview with her all about her incredible new album Salt, which just dropped on Friday.

GRAMMYs

Legendary Gov't Mule frontman Warren Haynes paid us a visit to talk about playing Newport Folk in the past with the Allman Brothers Band and his special acoustic set this year’s fest. 

GRAMMYs

After starting Sunday off right with a groove-packed set on the Fort stage, Stephen Marley and Jo Mersa Marley stopped by to snap a few pics.

GRAMMYs

The hilarious and talented Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids posed for some pics and talked about their "Sad Songs Comedy Hour," what it's felt like to be nominated for GRAMMY Awards and more.

GRAMMYs

British singer/songwriter Nilüfer Yanya talked with us about the inspiration behind her album Miss Universe, and took a moment to pose for our camera in the portrait studio.

GRAMMYs

Rayland Baxter shared the touching story behind his new tribute to Mac Miller, Good Mmornin, and told about his experience at Newport Folk.

Go Behind The Scenes Of ESSENCE Fest's 25th Anniversary: Party With A Purpose

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