Amythyst Kiah

Biography

Amythyst Kiah, born December 11, 1986, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, grew up in a musical family; her father sang and played percussion in a 1970s band and serves as her tour manager, while her mother sang in church. She attended a creative arts high school, taught herself guitar at age 13, and suffered the profound loss of her mother to suicide at age 17, an event that marked her third public performance when she sang at the funeral. Kiah graduated from East Tennessee State University (ETSU) with a degree in Bluegrass, Old-Time, and Country Music Studies, joining the school's premier old-time band, which shaped her deep roots in Appalachian traditions.[1][2][4][5]

Kiah began touring in 2010 as a solo artist or with her band Her Chest of Glass, releasing her debut album Dig in 2013, self-produced at ETSU's recording lab, followed by the EP Her Chest of Glass in 2016. Her style, which she calls 'Southern Gothic' or 'alternative Americana,' blends roots rock, blues, folk, old-time string band music, alternative rock, and syncopated rhythms, often performed on guitar or banjo. A pivotal moment came through her collaboration with Rhiannon Giddens in the supergroup Our Native Daughters, contributing the Grammy-nominated 'Black Myself' to their 2018 Smithsonian Folkways album Songs of Our Native Daughters, a career-defining anthem addressing Black history and resilience that earned Folk Alliance International awards.[1][2][3][5]

Subsequent releases include Wary + Strange (2020) on Rounder Records, produced by Tony Berg, exploring personal themes like her mother's suicide and inner security, and Still + Bright (recent), produced by Butch Walker with co-writers like Tim Armstrong and Sadler Vaden. Now based in Johnson City, Tennessee, Kiah continues to redefine Americana boundaries, bridging historical roots with contemporary rock expression.[1][2][3][4]

Fun Facts

• Kiah's third public performance was singing at her mother's funeral at age 17, following her mother's suicide.
• She describes her evolving style playfully as 'Appalachian goth-pop blues rock,' reflecting her anime-nerd mall goth youth.
• Her father, a former 1970s band percussionist, now serves as her tour manager.
• Kiah taught herself guitar at age 13 on a Fender acoustic, marking the start of her songwriting journey.

Associated Acts

• Amythyst Kiah & Her Chest of Glass - original
• Our Native Daughters

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Rhiannon Giddens - Invited Kiah to songwriting retreat leading to supergroup formation (Songs of Our Native Daughters album) [2018]

Key Collaborators

• Our Native Daughters (Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, Allison Russell) - Supergroup of Black women roots musicians (Songs of Our Native Daughters (Grammy-nominated 'Black Myself')) [2018-2019]
• Her Chest of Glass - Her backing band (Her Chest of Glass EP (2016), various tours) [2010-present]
• Tony Berg - Album producer (Wary + Strange) [2020]
• Butch Walker - Album producer (Still + Bright) [2024-2025]
• Tim Armstrong - Co-writer (Still + Bright) [2024-2025]
• Sadler Vaden - Co-writer (guitarist for Jason Isbell’s 400 Unit) (Still + Bright) [2024-2025]
• Avi Kaplan - Co-writer (former Pentatonix member) (Still + Bright) [2024-2025]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #americana, #country-blues, #folk