Kyshona Releases New Track 'Comin' Out Swingin' (Ft. Kelvin Armstrong)'

Nashville-based artist/music therapist/activist Kyshona has released “Comin' Out Swingin' (ft. Kelvin Armstrong),” the lead single from her highly-anticipated, forthcoming LP, Legacy, due out April 26th via Soundly Music. The Tennessean called "Comin' Out Swingin'" “funk-driven soul,” adding that Legacy is a “personal, soulful and roots-driven folk journey.”

"Both as an album and a reclamation of her family's over 150-year-old American genealogy,” they continued. “It -- like many of her previous works -- captures the 'honest essence' of 'tangible realities.'”  

“Comin' Out Swingin',” co-written with and featuring her brother, Kelvin, was imagined as an anthem for those moments when we need a boost of confidence, inspired by Kyshona's cousin, Crystal C. “But in truth, I feel like I wrote this song for myself as well,” Kyshona says. “When I'm feeling my lowest, I think of Crystal and all the women that came before us that made hard decisions and sacrifices in the name of love, home and purpose."  

Co-produced with GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer/mixer Rachael Moore, Legacy houses 13 songs and features guest contributions from Keb Mo', Ruthie Foster, Odessa Settles, and more, along with songs co-written with Aaron Lee Tasjan, Brittney Spencer, Caroline Spence, and others, including her late grandfather, Hawthorne “H.T.” Armstrong.

Realizing how fragile and fragmented our society is, and as our access to the people and places who shaped us can grow weaker and more distant the older we get, Kyshona crafted this album about legacy to capture the history, character, essence, and honest stories of her ancestors and family so generations that come after will have something to hold onto.

“This project is an invitation to others to do the same, in their own way. Maybe tracking my family's stories into song will be a healing for not only me but others who feel untethered or isolated, removed from their origins,” she says.” My hope is we can rediscover the past together, and in doing so understand more about ourselves in the future.”

To bring the album's vision to life, Kyshona and Moore assembled an intersectional team of engineers, musicians, singers, and featured guests to record in Memphis, Tennessee at Southern Grooves Studio, created by GRAMMY-winning producer Matt Ross-Spang who also was a supporting engineer on the record.   

Legacy, however, is not only an album — it is a multi-faceted project. In preparation, Kyshona worked with a genealogist at the Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center at The Smithsonian Institute's National Museum of African American History & Culture. She and her family have traced five generations, the oldest record dating back to the 1860 US Census Slave Schedules. Searching for information and its meaning, studying records, and photographs, and gathering stories has been a rich part of this album's creation.

Developing relationships with organizations that support communities seeking to do this type of research has also been a part of the process. Kyshona hopes to connect followers and fans with resources and experienced professionals dedicated to helping black Americans trace their ancestry and collect their stories, too. She wants to create a platform for those who wish to share their stories and experiences, so they can be heard by others through song. She documents stories of legacy to encourage, inspire, and support the next generation to come.  

Kyshona has also announced new tour dates, see a full list of upcoming shows below. Pre-save Legacy HERE, and be sure to follow Kyshona at the links below for the latest news and updates.  

Photo: Anna Haas

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