About Gaelynn Lea

Since winning NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016, Gaelynn Lea has captivated audiences around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Over the years, she has collaborated and performed with many notable artists such as Michael Stipe (REM), The Decemberists, Wilco, LOW, and the industrial rock supergroup Pigface. In 2022, Gaelynn Lea composed and recorded the original score for Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. Thanks to a recent Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship, her theatrically-inspired soundtrack is set to be released in Spring 2025. A tour for this new album, Music from Macbeth, will take place in the UK soon afterwards.

Music aside, Gaelynn Lea is a sought-after public speaker about accessibility in the arts. She has been featured on PBS NewsHour, On Being with Krista Tippett, The Moth Radio Hour, The Science of Happiness Podcast, and via two widely-viewed TEDx Talks.

One of Gaelynn Lea’s biggest passions is promoting Disability Culture. To that end, she helped to co-found RAMPD [Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities] with NYC-based recording artist Lachi in early 2022. The mission of this fast-growing global network of disabled music professionals is to amplify Disability Culture, promote equitable inclusion & advocate for accessibility in the music industry. Gaelynn is also a member of the Recording Academy, and she currently enjoys serving on the DEI Committee.

Gaelynn Lea recently co-wrote, acted, and sang in a new musical fable for the stage with disabled storyteller Kevin Kling. The show, Invisible Fences, premiered at Open Eye Theater. This fantastical, music-filled production touches on disability, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves. Invisible Fences is set to be revived in November 2024 at Zeitgeist Theater in Duluth, MN. Gaelynn Lea is currently writing a memoir about her touring adventures, disability advocacy, and the messy creativity of an artist's life.

Recognition and Awards

| National Public Radio
Contest Winner
2016
| Folk Alliance International
Award Recipient
2022
| Whippoorwill Arts
Whippoorwill Arts Fellow
2024

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