Sabine McCalla

Between Haiti and New Orleans, the art of musical connections: Sabine McCalla makes her Ascona debut

Sabine McCalla, sister of Leyla McCalla of the Carolina Chocolate Drops, is an American singer songwriter who grew up in New Jersey in an open-minded Haitian family that allowed her to explore different musical worlds freely from an early age. She has shaped her artistic language by weaving together chamber music, Haitian tradition, soul, reggae, British pop, and Americana. Drawn to the connections between cultures and styles, Sabine has developed a refined and personal songwriting voice, supported by an intense, narrative-driven vocal style. She now lives in New Orleans, a city that has deeply influenced her path (“I was won over by artists like Irma Thomas, King Oliver, Howlin’ Wolf, and Lonnie Johnson. Then the food. And finally the culture,” she says), making her one of the most original and cross-genre voices of the contemporary roots scene.