Jayanthi Kyle is an American

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer/songwriter based in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

who uses music, song, and storytelling to empower both youth and adults alike. Kyle has been active in more than 11 bands in her career, including Black Audience, Jayanthi Kyle and the Crybabies, Romantica, Gospel Machine, Davis Bain Band, Passed Presents, Give Get Sistet, Miss Pennie's Microphone, and The Blacker The Berry Arts Collective.

Early life

Kyle was born 1979 to an Indian father and a Native American and black mother. Her family moved from

Ford Heights, Illinois Ford Heights (formerly East Chicago Heights) is a village and a suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,813 at the 2020 census. Many of the area’s first settlers were African American and since its incorp ...

Maple Grove, Minnesota Maple Grove is a suburban city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 70,253 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. making it Minnesota's 11th most populous city. Maple Grove serves ...

. She grew up in Maple Grove and

Chicago's South Side The South Side is an area of Chicago, Illinois, U.S. It lies south of the city's Loop area in the downtown. Geographically, it is the largest of the three sides of the city that radiate from downtown, with the other two being the north and we ...

. Kyle discovered her love of singing at an early age through her mother, as well as through singing in Baptist, Pentecostal, and Evangelical congregations with her sister, which she became active because both her parents were preachers.

Career

Kyle formed the band Black Audience to open for Jim Ruiz at PalmFest. The band initially included Kyle's husband Robin Kyle, her brother Luke, Mike Gunther, and Doug Anderson. Gunther left the group, which was joined by bassist Jon Davis and harmonium player Matt Hardy. The group plays old gospel, country, blues, traditional Irish

reels A reel is an object around which a length of another material (usually long and flexible) is wound for storage (usually hose are wound around a reel). Generally a reel has a cylindrical core (known as a '' spool'') with flanges around the ends ...

, and covers of songs by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and

Harry Belafonte Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927) is an American singer, activist, and actor. As arguably the most successful Jamaican-American pop star, he popularized the Trinbagonian Caribbean musical style with an interna ...

. Kyle also sings for Jayanthi and the Crybabies and the indie R&B group Gospel Machine. Kyle and Gospel Machine guitarist Wes Burdine wrote the song "Hand in Hand" in for the Million Artist Movement. The song, inspired by the deaths of

Eric Garner On July 17, 2014, Eric Garner was killed in the New York City borough of Staten Island after Daniel Pantaleo, a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer, put him in a prohibited chokehold while arresting him. Video footage of the inciden ...

and Michael Brown, was first performed at the Million March MN rally on December 13, 2014. "Hand in Hand" addresses both the police and elected officials; Kyle also performed the song at

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (also known as Heart of the Beast or HOBT) is a puppet company and nonprofit organization from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The company has written and performed scores of full-length puppet plays, per ...

's May Day Parade in 2015 and at

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

events. The song has become an unofficial anthem for the Minneapolis Black Lives Matter movement. Kyle was also active in protests following the death of Philando Castille, where she used her singing to process grief and deliver hope. Kyle led the choir that sang during the first same-sex marriages in Minnesota at

Minneapolis City Hall Minneapolis City Hall and Hennepin County Courthouse (also known as the Municipal Building), designed by Long and Kees in 1888, is the main building used by the city government of Minneapolis, as well as by Hennepin County, in the U.S. state of Mi ...

in July 2013. She also sings at funerals; Kyle cites the experiences of her youth, where she had many friends and family members pass away, as why she uses music to heal in these situations. "At a wedding, you can never sing a song beautiful enough.The singer is just part of the show and everyone is just focused on the dress or something else. At a funeral, everyone is, like, please, we need this."

Personal life

Kyle is married to Robin Kyle and has three children.

References

External links

Jayanthi Kyle
on Bandcamp {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Jayanthi 1970s births Living people 21st-century American singers 20th-century African-American women singers American gospel singers American musicians of Indian descent American women musicians of Indian descent American soul singers Native American singers People from Cook County, Illinois People from Maple Grove, Minnesota 21st-century American women singers Artists from Minnesota 21st-century African-American women singers