For this episode of Pass the Mic: Creating a Stage for Change, we spoke to Amythyst Kiah during the 2024 Big Ears Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee. Amythyst earned a GRAMMY nomination for her song "Black Myself" in the category of Best American Roots Song. She is also a member of the "all women of color supergroup", Our Native Daughters, which also featured Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell. Amythyst's 2021 album, Wary+Strange, was described as "a must-listen about living in the land of white privilege" by Billboard and a "masterful blend of lonesome folk and neo-blues" by Rolling Stone. In this conversation, Amythyst describes her early experiences with music, her time exploring music as a student at ETSU, and ways that learning to manage social anxiety has shifted her approach to songwriting.

All music featured on this episode was composed and performed by William Wright.