Musical Lairs House Concerts

Crys Matthews

September 13, 2025

Already being hailed as "the next Woody Guthrie", Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers. A powerful lyricist whose songs of compassionate dissent reflect her lived experience as what she lightheartedly calls "the poster-child for intersectionality." Crys is made for these times and, with the release of her new, hope-fueled, love-filled social justice album Changemakers, Matthews hopes to take her place alongside some of her heroes in the world of social-justice music like Sweet Honey in the Rock and Holly Near.

Matthews began performing in 2010, but cemented her acclaim at Lincoln Center as the 2017 New Song Music and Performance Competition grand prize winner. That year she also released two new projects - her album of thoughtful songs on love and life called The Imagineers, and her EP called Battle Hymn for an Army of Lovers, which tackles social justice themes. Matthews also won the People’s Music Network’s Social Justice Songs contest at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance.

Loyal fans quickly followed as Matthews to performances at large music festivals and prestigious venues across the country including the Sundance Film Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, and the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center.

Matthews speaks of being raised in a small town in North Carolina by an A.M.E.preacher, and how she witnessed the power of music from an early age. A former drum major and classically-trained clarinetist turned folk singer, Matthews is using her voice to answer Dr. Martin Luther King's call to be "a drum major for justice."

"I believe in hope", Matthews said. "As a social-justice songwriter, it is my duty to keep breathing that hope and encouragement into the people who listen to my music." Crys Matthews's thoughtful, realistic and emotional songs speak to the voice of our generation and remind us why music indeed soothes the soul.