It has been a landmark past 24 hours for Rhiannon Giddens, who yesterday (May 8) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Music for the 2022 opera OMAR and today announced her first album of all original songs, You’re the One. The project arrives Aug. 18 from Nonesuch, with the title track serving as the first single.
You’re the One is Giddens’ first album under her own name since They’re Calling Me Home, a collaboration with her partner/multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi which won the best folk album Grammy in 2022. It was produced by Jack Splash, best known for his work with Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, and Solange.
Also Read
Rhiannon Giddens’ Next Act
“I hope that people just hear American music,” Giddens says of the album. “Blues, jazz, cajun, country, gospel, and rock — it’s all there. I like to be where it meets organically. They’re fun songs, and I wanted them to have as much of a chance as they could to reach people who might dig them but don’t know anything about what I do.”
The only guest on You’re the One is Jason Isbell, who joins Giddens on a tale of interracial romance called “Yet To Be.”
Giddens will support the album with what are described as the biggest headlining shows of her career, including Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium on Sept. 15, London’s Barbican on Feb. 21, New York’s Beacon Theatre on March 16, and the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles on April 25.
