Larah Helayne

Appalachia in the Bluegrass Concert Series, sponsored by The John Jacob Niles Center for American Music and the UK College of Fine Arts

Larah Helayne is a 20-something, Queer, Appalachian musician; writing banjo pop songs for the adolescent and adventurous. Larah strives for their sound to be “some serendipitous mix of the high lonesome singing and banjo thrashing of the old-time greats, and the way that pop music seats sadness and sorrow in well-polished glory.”

In 2018, Larah released their debut acoustic EP “Roots.” Roots was, in essence, a love letter to Appalachia, and to all the people who raised, shaped, and made Larah.

While writing Roots, Larah unknowingly began writing songs for their recently released EP, “Good Riddance.” Departing from Roots with a full band and intricate production, the influences for Good Riddance range greatly; from Larah’s dedication to traditional folk music and classic country, to their love of 2010’s pop. Lyrically, Good Riddance is a time capsule of Larah’s teenagehood; a time equally as miserable as it was magical.

Larah currently lives, loves, and works in Central Kentucky, where they are hard at work touring and creating new music.