/image%2F1034110%2F20221028%2Fob_0c2a43_thumbnail-13.jpeg)
Leyla McCalla was born in New York, or was she? Listening to her sing on the farm-stage at the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, you’d swear that she was coming straight from the Louisiana Bayou. Listening to her croon a song entitled “Latibonit” on a stage in Paris, surrounded by musicians as seasoned as herself, makes you think she’s a street performer on the streets of Port-au-Prince. But, she’s just Leyla. Leyla McCalla.
The daughter of Haitian parents, McCalla is on the brink of releasing her first solo album, a record made up of songs inspired by her love of Langston Hughes’ poetry. Her voice is lovely, ornate, bluesy, and most of all, enthralling.
You’ve said in a previous interview that your parents were very, very liberal. What was it like growing up of Haitian parentage?
My father was born in Port-au-Prince and my mother was born in Cap-Haitien. My grandfather, Ben Dupuy, was the editor of a progressive Haitian newspaper called Haiti Progres. As a young man, my father worked for his newspaper and later was the director of an organization called the National Coalition for Haitian Rights. My mother is an immigration lawyer who also helped found a Haitian women’s rights organization called Dwa Famn. I grew up going to demonstrations, learning about different Haitian rights issues, and attending the Ethical Culture Society as my Sunday school. My parents instilled a sense of pride about being Haitian as I was growing up, but it wasn’t until my adulthood that I really understood why that was important for them.
When you were little, what sort of music did you absorb from your surroundings?
My parents listened to all sorts of music. Some things that stick out in my mind are Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, James Taylor, Paul Simon, the Beatles, Bob Marley and Boukman Esperyans.
/https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FhGM2Ls5X9Q8%2Fhqdefault.jpg)
/image%2F1034110%2F20250329%2Fob_b622b4_thumbnail-1.png)
/image%2F1034110%2F20250321%2Fob_a5cc8a_anthony-phelps.jpeg)
/https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2F3JVym9LAC8I%2Fhqdefault.jpg)
/https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FEoPAp5o7wS0%2Fhqdefault.jpg)
/https%3A%2F%2Frezonodwes.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F04%2Fjovenel-moise-bannann.jpg)
/image%2F1034110%2F20250415%2Fob_644ad0_th-12-jpg.png)
/https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FQYAp8Cln9IA%2Fhqdefault.jpg)