Harpist Brandee Younger is defying expectations. Over the past fifteen years, she has worked relentlessly to stretch boundaries and limitations for harpists. In 2022, she broke new ground by becoming the first black woman ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition. Ever-expanding as an artist, her album, Brand New Life, builds on the already rich oeuvre, seamlessly transcending genre. As the title of the album suggests, Brand New Life is about forging new paths–artistic, personal, political, and spiritual. “We're bringing new life to [Dorothy Ashby’s] old compositions. We're creating new life…for the instrument,” Younger said. The album includes original works by Brandee Younger, reinterpretations of Dorothy Ashby classics, along with a couple of covers that redefine the category.
