Growing up in rural Idaho, Farayi was exposed to a diverse cross-section of American music through her parents. Her dad was fond of classic country, while her mom loved jazz, Motown, and ’80s pop acts such as Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

“I studied jazz for many years and I let the other part of my musical identity go,” she adds. “Race was a big part of it. When I was a kid, I didn’t see any Black fiddlers, so I didn’t really know what was possible for me. I didn’t see a lot of people like myself represented in roots music spaces, so I didn’t feel like I had permission to be in those spaces. I can see that changing now.”

However, Farayi makes it clear that every part of her musical life is interconnected. “I identify myself as an American roots artist and songwriter who is fundamentally rooted in the blues,” she says. “I don’t see any of the music that I’m doing—or any of my influences—really being that different. And if we recognize what all the American music that we love and listen to has in common, we find that we’re not so different.”