Pyeng Threadgill
Short Bio
Described as “charmingly eclectic" by St Louis Today Pyeng Threadgill sings ‘New Porch Music’ crafting an intimate journey through folk and Jazz with Afro- electronic inflections. In the midst of developing her fourth solo album and multimedia project entitled Head Full of Hair, Heart Full of Song, Ms. Threadgill shines a light on hair, adornment, and ancestry, and the conflicts therein.
Explains Pyeng, "Well interestingly, it's kind of the blues that got me on the path to writing Head Full of Hair. I was singing Robert Johnson and Bessie Smith and I realized I needed to sing my own blues. And hair for Black women is such a raveled and weighty topic,” says Threadgill. “It's almost like talking about sex or something, it’s really personal”.
As Pyeng began composing the project, stories of her grandmother and heritage took root, further inspiring her writing. However, it was Head Full of Hair’s intended audience that really created a deep-seated motivation.
“This is the first time I'm actually writing an album for young girls, specifically girls of African descent. I wanted to create some kind of anthem for us, and for my daughter. I just realized hair is really about choice. Having the choice to do your hair the way you want and choosing to see your own beauty. That can be everything for a young girl," she states.
Head Full of Hair, Heart Full of Song is expected to release in 2017, with the crowdsourced fundraiser to conclude this winter.