Chastity Brown brings her blues-rooted sound to the Musical Instrument Museum

Every once in a while, an artist comes along who doesn’t just play music; they awaken memories.

For me, Chastity Brown is one of those rare artists. On September 19, the Minneapolis-based singer-songwriter will bring her “Sing to the Walls” tour to Phoenix’s Musical Instrument Museum, filling the air with her signature blend of jazz, soul, and rock.

She takes me back to the days of my childhood, a time when I first discovered the magic of sound. Back then, music wasn’t just background noise; it was everything. It shaped how I walked, how I dressed, even how I spoke.

The rhythms and melodies that reached my young, vulnerable ears became the foundation of my entire identity. So when I say Chastity Brown takes me back, I mean it. Her voice carries those smooth, rich, and organic sounds I first fell in love with.

Chastity’s story begins with music in her blood. The daughter of a blues musician and the youngest of five siblings, all of whom were also musicians. Her path seemed almost predestined. Yet she admits she wasn’t always sure. “I come from a family of musicians. I was uncertain about pursuing music, but it turns out I was obsessed,” says Brown.

Luckily for all of us, obsession won. Chasity embraced her roots, building a career that has stayed loyal to music’s raw and soulful foundation. But her journey hasn’t been without struggle. “I’ve done a lot of maturing and have experienced mental health challenges this past year. I’m not the same person mentally as I was on my last record,” she said.
Those experiences bleed through her music, creating songs that aren’t just heard, they’re felt. With a voice powerful enough to raise goosebumps, she takes listeners on an emotional rollercoaster, weaving depth and vulnerability into every performance.

With over 15 years as a singer-songwriter, Chastity belongs to a tradition of musicians who rely on pure talent, live instrumentation, and unedited vocals. She’s not just a singer, she’s a multi-instrumentalist, playing banjo, guitar, piano, and saxophone.

Some call her “a banjo-playing soul singer,” though her artistry defies labels. Still, even a seasoned performer like Brown admits the weight of today’s industry. “In a world of mainstream, overproduced music, it’s easy to become influenced and second-guess myself,” she says.

That honesty is what makes her music so compelling. Chastity represents an era when songs told stories, when lyrics carried pain, joy, and texture. Her music is meaningful, authentic, and unpolished in the best way, like truth itself.

As our conversation drew to a close, I asked her one final question: “What’s one thing you’d like people to know about you?”

Her answer was poetic: “A walk in the forest when the sunlight cuts through the leaves is the same as being onstage under all the bright lights.”

I paused, let the words settle, then smiled. “That’s satisfying,” I replied.

And it was. Just like her music.