Nature Sounds: Singer-Songwriter Valerie June on Listening to Nature’s Music
ByJacqueline Cutler
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Valerie June, who tops her glorious mass of hair with crowns of flowers, knows the joy of dancing barefoot under the moon.
A twang from June’s home state of Tennessee accents her music, which is an eclectic mélange of blues, folk, jazz, soul, and gospel. Her country upbringing formed someone happy strumming her acoustic guitar, singing about nature.
June recorded “Home Inside” for National Geographic’s Earth Day Eve 2021 concert on a covered bridge in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. It’s the perfect reminder that nature can be found in the most urban settings. On a sunny spring morning, speaking from Brooklyn, June shared her feelings in this edited conversation.