Yola sings for the 'next generation of young Black girls' on new song 'Hold On'

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Breakout British country songwriter Yola sings for the "next generation of young Black girls" on her emboldened new song, "Hold On."  Recorded at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A, Yola penned "Hold On" — which corners a crossroads of country-roots storytelling with Southern gospel magic — by pulling from conversations with her mother about systemic racism and unconscious bias. To open the song, Yola sings: "Mama said to me hold on/ You gotta be wise, hold on/ Momentary dreams can be gold/ Or water through your fingers/ You can’t hold." She enlisted an all-star studio cast, with Jason Isbell on guitar, Sheryl Crow on piano and Brandi Carlile and Natalie Hemby, members of country supergroup the Highwomen, on backing vocals. "'Hold On' is a conversation between me and the next generation of young Black girls," Yola, born Yolanda Quartey, said in a statement. "My mother’s advice would always stress caution, that all that glitters isn’t gold, and that my Black female role models on TV are probably having a hard time. She warned me that I should rethink my calling to be a writer and a singer…. but to me that was all the more reason I should take up this space.Brandi Carlile and Jason Isbell team up for Nashville tornado relief concert, sells out in less than 2 hoursShe continued, "‘Hold On’ is asking the next [generation] to take up space, to be visible and to show what it looks to be young, gifted and Black." Proceeds from "Hold On" benefit MusiCares and the National Bailout Collective. Yola and company tracked "Hold On" with award-winning producer Dave Cobb during Highwomen sessions, a news release said. Yola guested on the group's vital "Highwomen" track, a gender-swapped reimagination of country staple "Highwaymen." Yola debuts "Hold On" ahead of PBS premiering an hour-long "Austin City Limits" performance on Saturday; she returns to the stage in Nashville next May for a headlining gig at the Ryman Auditorium. Yola released her breakout four-time Grammy-nominated debut, "Walk Through Fire," in 2019 via Nashville label Easy Eye Sound. Visit iamyola.com to hear "Hold On." John Prine, Yola and more pay tribute to Willie Nelson at pre-Grammys salute