Carolina Chocolate Drops' lead singer to appear on "Nashville"

Despite what you perceive as new music, every song you listen to is influenced in some way by traditional blues and jazz music.

The traditional roots of blues have been manipulated to fit into each new generation of music, and many musicians lose a sense of reverence to the origins and true purpose of music within black culture. 

“Jazz has become institutionalized," said Adra Raine, a PhD student majoring in English at UNC. "You can go to Julliard and study jazz, and then the folks who are getting gigs or who are at the top are these trained white musicians.”  

Fortunate for us, North Carolina bred the enchanting, captivating voice of Rhiannon Giddens, a co-founding member of the Grammy award-winning country band, "Carolina Chocolate Drops." 

Born and raised in Greensboro, Giddens became aware of different cultures as a biracial woman. Giddens said her music builds bridges and breaks barriers, trying to get rid of the superficial racism that plagues our country. She revitalizes the significance of blues within country music by incorporating roots of traditional North Carolina music as well as traditional African music. With this combination, she and the Drops were able to create their Grammy award-winning 2010 album, "Genuine Negro Jig." 

Giddens’ musical talent as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist adds to her eccentric style of music that captivates audiences from all different industries. To add to her long list of accomplishments, Giddens will also be joining the cast of "Nashville," the ABC show, for its fifth season scheduled to be released on Jan. 5, 2017. Giddens will be playing the role of Hanna Lee Jordan, a social worker with the voice of an angel. 

As a musician, she believes this role will force her out of her comfort zone. 

“I look at everything that I have done so far as an opportunity to grow in what I do," she said. "To act you have to learn how to be in the moment. It’s going to help me become a better performer.” 

She's no stranger to country and folk music. Giddens' musical talent continued to succeed as her own solo album, "Tomorrow Is My Turn," was nominated for a Grammy Award in Best Folk Album.  

“After college, I fell in love with the banjo and I really wanted to learn the history of it,” Giddens said. She utilizes a variety of banjos and other instruments to create a flowing masterpiece of melodies and lyrics. 

“I’m interested to see what the response is and if people from other regions of the country listen to the music differently," Raine said.

"I feel like a lot of times nowadays in a lot of songs you can’t understand what they’re saying or there is a lack of lyrical depth," said Kari Hill, a UNC sophomore majoring in cultural studies. 

"That’s the reason I like country music.”

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