Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe070
Gaelynn won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016. Since then, she has captivated audience around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Over the years, she has collaborated and performed with many notable artists such as Michael Stipe from REM, The Decemberists, Wilco, Lowe, and the industrial rock supergroup Pigface. In early 2022, Gaelynn composed and performed the music for Macbeth on Broadway, which starred Daniel Craig. The following year, she wrote a musical fable for the stage called Invisible Fences with the disabled author and playwright Kevin Kling.
Music aside, Gaelynn Lea is a sought-after public speaker and disability advocate around the topics of disability culture, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts. In 2021, she co-founded the organization Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities with fellow artist-activist Lachi. In 2024, she was awarded both the Disability Futures Fellowship and the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship for her music and disability advocacy. She is currently finishing up her debut book due out in 2026. Linger in the Sun will be a love letter to everybody, a warm, funny, and deeply felt memoir about disability, music, and the messy creativity of an artist's life.
Connect with Gaelynn Lea:
GAELYNN LEA – Musician & Public Speaker
Creative Living for Every Body with Gaelynn Lea | Substack
"I Wait" by Gaelynn Lea
Judith Heumann’s Fight for Disability Rights (feat. Ali Stroker) - Drunk History
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