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How Library of Congress recordings and the COVID era reshaped Amythyst Kiah’s work
Summary
Kiah told the Library of Congress that discovering Vera Hall recordings in the Library’s collections inspired arrangements she recorded, and that the pandemic prompted a pivot to home recording, virtual gigs and improved video/audio production funded in part by commercial residuals.
At a Library of Congress symposium, Amythyst Kiah described finding Vera Hall recordings on the Library of Congress website and using those archival a cappella performances as the basis for new arrangements. "I immediately recognized that this...it was completely A cappella," she said, and added a verse when adapting the material for her group Chest of Glass.
Kiah said the Native Daughters project — a quick, collaborative set of writing and recording sessions organized by Rhiannon Giddens and tied to Sony and Folkways’ African American Legacy work — further shaped her approach to integrating archival material with original songwriting. She credited the project with pushing her into co‑writing for the first time and with helping refine the thematic scope of songs such as "Black Myself."
Kiah also described the professional disruptions of 2020: touring canceled, an early uncertainty about income and an eventual pivot to virtual performances. She said residuals from a previous Bank of America commercial and a payment related to the Native Daughters tour allowed her to buy a MacBook and camera equipment and to invest in better lighting and sound for home video production. Those investments let her produce higher‑quality streamed performances and videos during lockdown and to continue a creative workflow while touring resumed in 2021.
The interview tied archival practice to production choices: Kiah framed the Library’s recordings as research sources and said she used new home production tools to present those arranged and original songs to remote audiences. Nicole Saylor closed the session with a reminder that Kiah’s concert can be viewed at loc.gov.
