When Gaelynn Lea won NPR Music’s 2016 Tiny Desk Contest, her two decades as a hardworking and talented musician finally crystallized in a beautiful moment of national recognition. It was also just the beginning of a grand adventure. With the wind of her award at their backs, Gaelynn and her husband Paul sold their house in Northern Minnesota, quit their jobs, bought a van, and hit the road.

Since then, Gaelynn has played over 425 shows in 43 states and seven countries, adding over 100,000 miles to their Ford Econoline’s odometer. Yet somehow between this perpetual blitz of performances, Gaelynn also managed to release her third full-length album in September 2018.

"Learning How To Stay" is an 11-song collection that runs the gamut sonically from pensive and luscious to aggressive and intentioned, from folk to decidedly pop. Undoubtedly the connecting thread of this album is Gaelynn Lea herself. With her singular voice & deeply-affecting violin, she guides the listener through a journey that explores the contrasting nature of existence: dark and light, birth and death, anger and forgiveness, sorrow and joy. "Learning How to Stay" encourages the listener to stay present for it all.

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