Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce the first taping of 2020—the opening salvo of our new Season 46: UK country soul sensation Yola making her ACL debut on February 4, 2020. The breakout British phenom recently racked up four 2020 Grammy® nominations, including a coveted Best New Artist nod, alongside top honors in the Americana category, including Best Americana Album for her excellent 2019 debut Walk Through Fire, and both Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance for the album’s “Faraway Look”.
Produced by ACL three-timer Dan Auerbach, Walk Through Fire is a career-defining and genre-bending release from one of the most exciting emerging acts in music today. Yola’s arresting vocals captivate with sincere tales of heartache and loves lost, forgotten, and broken. Released on Nashville’s Easy Eye Sound, the album earned widespread critical acclaim from national press including The New York Times, Vogue, Rolling Stone and NPR, with The Los Angeles Times raving, “British, black and bold, Yola is shaking up American roots music”. Yola counts none other than Sir Elton John as a major fan, with the music icon hailing the singer-songwriter “as one of his favourite rising stars.”
Known for show-stopping live performances, Yola’s 2019 highlights include standout appearances at Glastonbury, Newport Folk Festival, SXSW and Farm Aid. She has shared the stage this past year with Dolly Parton, Mavis Staples, Kacey Musgraves, The Killers, Sheryl Crow and Brandi Carlile, and is currently opening for Chris Stapleton on multiple U.S. tour dates. We’re thrilled to welcome Yola to the ACL stage following her Grammy® Awards debut on January 26, 2020.
Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes about a week prior to the taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episode will air this fall on PBS as part of our upcoming Season 46.