Award-winning and Billboard-charting artist Flamy Grant is a shame-slaying, hip-swaying, singing-songwriting drag queen from western North Carolina. Her 2022 debut record, Bible Belt Baby, reached the #1 spot on the iTunes Christian Charts (the first drag performer to achieve this feat), was nominated for Best Pop Album at the San Diego Music Awards, and was named one of the Top Ten Queer Country Albums of 2023 by Rainbow Rodeo Magazine. Her single “Good Day” also debuted at #20 on the Billboard Christian digital sales chart. Flamy is a winner of the 2023 Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition and a 2023 QueerX Award nominee for Best Drag Artist and has been featured in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, People, and more. Her music has over 750,000 streams on Spotify, Apple, and Amazon music. A powerhouse vocalist and intrepid songwriter who blends folk, gospel, and roots, Flamy drags you into a therapeutic, theatrical mix of storytelling and song.

DJ Prince S | Sonic Sorceress | Sound as spell
Black. Queer. Sensual. Sovereign.

I DJ for the storm inside me.

What you hear is the sound of my own healing.

My grief
My rage
My joy
My ecstasy…

My liberation.

Alive. Wild. Unpolished.
Burning bright.
Flowing deep.

My sets are sonic spells
the decks my altar…
every mix, a ritual of becoming.

This is sacred work.
This is my temple.
I am goddess in motion…
creatrix in flame and tide.

Come closer. Witness if you dare.

A troubadour of truth, Nashville resident Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. An award-winning, prolific lyricist and composer, Matthews blends Country, Americana, Folk, Blues, and Bluegrass into a bold, complex performance steeped in traditional melodies punctuated by honest, original lyrics. She is made for these times. 

Of Matthews, ASCAP VP & Creative Director Eric Philbrook says, “By wrapping honest emotions around her socially conscious messages and dynamically delivering them with a warm heart and a strong voice, she lifts our spirits just when we need it most in these troubled times.” Justin Hiltner of Bluegrass Situation adds, her gift is a "reminder of what beauty can occur when we bridge those divides." In her own words, Matthews says her mission is: "to amplify the voices of the unheard, to shed light on the unseen, and to be a steadfast reminder that hope and love are the truest pathways to equity and justice." Her new album is an embodiment of and a testament to that mission.

When Matthews attended a panel at Folk Alliance International in February of 2024, she heard a Scottish Folk artist inquire as to how many record labels pursue what the artist referred to as "music from my tradition," four words that intrigued Matthews. "I loved the idea of that. It seems like the best way to talk about music: what is your tradition, who are your people, what is the fabric of you?"

A daughter of the South by way of Nashville now and North Carolina forever, and the self-proclaimed poster child of intersectionality, Matthews is boldly answering those questions on her new album aptly titled Reclamation.   

Recorded in Nashville, TN at Sound Emporium Studios, Reclamation was produced by Levi Lowry (co-writer of Zac Brown Band's hit song Colder Weather). The project features her partner on and off stage Heather Mae, her friends and fellow singer-songwriters Kyshona, Melody Walker, and Chris Housman, and some of the best musicians in Music City like Megan Coleman, Megan Elizabeth McCormick, Ellen Angelico, Ryan Madora, Jen Gunderman, and Michael Majett. 

"This album is both sonically and ideologically the fullest representation of who I am as an artist and as a human," she says. A preacher's kid, a Black woman, a Butch lesbian, and a proud Southerner who sings social justice music right alongside 'traditional' Country and Americana music, Matthews is reclaiming not just of the space Black artists have been denied in Country and Americana music, not just of the space LGBTQ people have been denied in communities of faith, not just of the autonomy women have been denied over their own bodies, she is reclaiming the South that raised her.

Heather Mae, the acclaimed social justice singer-songwriter, fearlessly bares her soul through music, creating an intimate space of shared vulnerability for her listeners. Her unbridled honesty, both on and off stage, has cultivated a devoted fanbase and garnered recognition, including accolades like the winner of the Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase and Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Artist-Activist of the Year award.

In her 2019 release, "Glimmer," Heather Mae crafts a luminescent masterpiece, drawing parallels to vocal powerhouses Adele and Sara Bareilles. With storytelling depth reminiscent of Florence Welch, the record uniquely centers on mental health, with each lyric unveiling a portrait of resilience and self-discovery.

Positioned on the cusp of unveiling her inaugural post-pandemic record, Mae embarked on a mission to address the stark gender disparity within music production—a mere 4% representation by women. In 2023, she spearheaded a transformative movement, rallying a powerhouse collective of women and non-binary talents in Nashville, including luminaries like producer ZDAN and Lollies, along with guest artists like Grammy award-winning musician Allison Russell and the extraordinary duo Sistastrings. Together, they crafted two electrifying albums, marking a significant shift in the landscape.

Leading the charge in queer songwriting, Heather Mae is poised to make a resounding impact with both groundbreaking records slated for release in 2024, ensuring her place on everyone's musical radar.

crysmatthews is following