Gaelynn Lea

Gaelynn Lea got her big break when she won NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016. Since then, she has been captivating audiences around the world with her haunting songs and fiddle tunes, and has collaborated with Michael Stipe, The Decemberists, and even Pigface. In 2022, Gaelynn Lea composed the original score for Macbeth on Broadway, starring Daniel Craig and Ruth Negga. Music from Macbeth will finally be out as a full-length album in May 2025, followed immediately by a 10-city UK tour. Most recently, Gaelynn Lea co-wrote, acted, and sang in a new musical fable for the stage called Invisible Fences with disabled storyteller Kevin Kling. Their fantastical, music-filled production touches on disability, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves. It has enjoyed three sold-out runs since it premiered in July 2023. This past year, Gaelynn Lea wrote a book about touring and disability advocacy that will be published by Algonquin Press in early 2026. "It Wasn’t Meant to Be Perfect" is a love-letter to every body; it is a warm, funny and deeply-felt memoir about disability, music, and the messy creativity of an artist's life.