This weekend, Austin City Limits showcases a rising star, UK singer-songwriter Yola in a new installment. Performing songs from her 2020 Grammy-nominated Walk Through Fire, along with sparkling renditions of choice classics, the country-soul sensation delivers a 12-song tour-de-force in her ACL debut. Her show was taped in February at ACL’s studio home ACL Live at the Moody Theater in Austin, Texas, before a live audience – like every other show in ACL’s 45-year history. Shortly after, the COVID pandemic hit and ACL ceased all production, only recently resuming tapings – without a live audience. With live music still on pause, ACL continues to provide viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. The series airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available online for a limited time at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast.
Hailing from the English port city of Bristol, the single-named Americana artist Yola delivers a knockout performance in an hourlong set featuring highlights from her acclaimed debut Walk Through Fire, which earned her four 2020 Grammy nominations, including one for best new artist. She recorded the album with in demand producer (and ACL three-timer) Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys at his Nashville studio. Backed by a quartet, Yola performs almost the entirety of the record in her ACL debut, dazzling with her arresting vocals on an emotion-filled catalog of heartbreak songs that inhabit the sweet spot between 1970s Southern soul and country. Donning her acoustic guitar, she performs “Ride Out in the Country” and unleashes the full power of her magnificent voice for the slowburn “Faraway Look.” The chatty and cheery singer charms the crowd with the stories behind her songs, including the house fire that inspired the album’s title track, transformed into a smoldering love song.
Yola reveals her fondness for 1970s pop classics, captivating the crowd with a deeply soulful reading of the Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe” and a powerhouse rendition of Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” Yola brings the house down for the closer, showcasing her gorgeous vocals on the Aretha Franklin gem “You’re All I Need to Get By.”
“Yola may well be the best pure singer on the pop music scene today,” according to ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “She has such an incredible dynamic range, a certain mystical spirit about her, and a devilish sense of humor. What’s not to love?”
Episode setlist:
Lonely the Night
Ride Out in the Country
Shady Grove
Walk Through Fire
Air That I Breathe
Faraway Look
Love is Light
Still Gone
It Ain’t Easier
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I Don’t Wanna Lie
You’re All I Need to Get By
Tune-in, log on, and let ACL be a trusted sidekick for entertainment during these challenging days. The complete line-up for the full 13-week season will be announced at a later date. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. . Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.
About Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 46th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS, KLRU-TV and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, RigUp, the Austin Convention Center Department and Cirrus Logic. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.