Who Is Rhiannon Giddens? Age, Biography and Wiki
Rhiannon Giddens, born on February 21, 1977, is a prominent American musician celebrated for her exceptional talent as a singer, instrumentalist, and songwriter. With a career spanning over two decades, Giddens has become a vital figure in the American folk and roots music scene. Her contributions have not only earned her a dedicated fan base but also several prestigious awards, including Grammy Awards and a MacArthur Fellowship. As of 2025, Rhiannon Giddens is 48 years old.
| Occupation | Country Singer |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | February 21, 1977 |
| Age | 48 Years |
| Birth Place | Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | U.S |
Popularity
Rhiannon Giddens's Popularity over time
Height, Weight & Measurements
Rhiannon Giddens stands at a height of approximately 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) and maintains a balanced weight of around 135 pounds (61 kg). Known for her graceful stage presence, Giddens also has striking measurements that complement her artistry. Her body stats approximately include:
- Height: 5'7" (170 cm)
- Weight: 135 lbs (61 kg)
- Body Measurements: 36-28-38
Family, Dating & Relationship Status
As for Rhiannon Giddens's dating and relationship status in 2025, she is currently in a loving relationship with her boyfriend, who prefers to maintain a low profile away from the public eye. Giddens has shared glimpses of her personal life through social media but has remained private about details regarding her partner’s identity. Giddens comes from a diverse musical background, stemming from a family that valued artistic expression, which played a vital role in shaping her career.
Giddens is of multiracial ancestry. Her father, David Giddens, is European-American. Her mother, Deborah Jamieson, is a descendant of African Americans and Native American tribes including the Lumbee, Occaneechi, and Seminole. Giddens does not claim a specific tribal affiliation. Her parents met as college students in the city of Greensboro.
Giddens' parents separated soon after her birth, when Deborah came out as a lesbian.
Net Worth and Salary
Rhiannon Giddens's net worth in 2025 is estimated to be around $3 million. This figure is reflective of her successful music career, including album sales, touring, and various performances across the globe. Moreover, Giddens has diversified her income through songwriting credits and collaborations with other artists, further contributing to her financial stability.
In October 2017, Giddens was named one of the 2017 class of MacArthur "Genius" Fellows.
The organization noted, "Giddens' drive to understand and convey the nuances, complexities, and interrelationships between musical traditions is enhancing our musical present with a wealth of sounds and textures from the past." She further demonstrated the broad range of her musical interests with several projects.
In early November, she performed as a soprano with the Louisville Orchestra in Teddy Abrams' multimedia tribute to Muhammad Ali, The Greatest. A week later, she sang with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for their live recording of American Originals: 1918, which explored the early development of jazz during the post WWI era.
In January 2018, Giddens co-produced (with Dirk Powell) Songs of Our Native Daughters for Smithsonian Folkways.
Written and recorded with fellow artists Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Canadian singer Allison Russell, "The album confronts the ways we are culturally conditioned to avoid talking about America's history of slavery, racism, and misogyny." Also in early 2018, the Nashville Ballet announced that Rhiannon Giddens had been commissioned to write th
e music for Lucy Negro, Redux, a new dance choreographed by artistic director, Paul Vasterling.
Based on the book of the same name by Caroline Randall Williams, its premise is that Shakespeare's Dark Lady was of African descent. The ballet premiered in February 2019.
In March 2018, Giddens fulfilled a previously announced engagement as guest curator for the Cambridge Folk Festival in Cambridge, England by inviting Peggy Seeger, Kaia Kater, Birds of Chicago, Amythyst Kiah, and Yola Carter to perform at the event.
Career, Business and Investments
Rhiannon Giddens's career took off as a founding member of the Grammy-winning string band, Carolina Chocolate Drops. Since then, her solo career has flourished, with critically acclaimed albums such as "Tomorrow Is My Turn" and "Freedom Highway." In 2025, she continues to break new ground within the music industry, often blending traditional musical styles with contemporary influences. Beyond music, Giddens is involved in several philanthropic initiatives, focusing on racial and social justice, and she has also invested in projects that promote education and arts accessibility.
As of November 12, 2013, Giddens became the only original member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops. In 2013, she began pushing further into a solo career. She participated in "Another Day, Another Time", a concert inspired by the Coen brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis.
Many critics have said that Giddens had the best performance at what was called "the concert of the year".
Late in 2013, she contributed the standout a cappella track "We Rise" to the LP We Are Not For Sale: Songs of Protest by the North Carolina Music Love Army – a collective of activist musicians from North Carolina founded by Jon Lindsay and Caitlin Cary.
Giddens' protest song joins contributions from many other Carolina musical luminaries on the Lindsay-produced compilation (11/26/13 via Redeye Distribution), which was created to support the North Carolina NAACP and the Moral Monday movement.
In early 2014, she recorded Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes alongside Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford, Taylor Goldsmith, and Jim James. The album was produced by T Bone Burnett and is a compilation of partial, unreleased lyrics written by Bob Dylan.
Social Network
Rhiannon Giddens is quite active on various social media platforms, where she connects with her fans and shares updates about her music and personal life. You can follow her on:
In 2017, Giddens became only the fourth musician to perform at both the Newport Folk and Jazz Festivals. Later that year, she gave the keynote address at the World of Bluegrass Business Conference 2017. According to Bluegrass Today, "Giddens (has) shattered long-held stereotypes...
By the time she was done, she had systematically dismantled the myth of a homogenous Appalachia." In June 2017, Giddens appeared in the multi award-winning documentary The American Epic Sessions, directed by Bernard MacMahon, where she recorded "One Hour Mama" and English folk ballad "Pretty Saro", on the restored first electrical sound recording s
ystem from the 1920s.
Both performances were released on Music from The American Epic Sessions: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. After hearing the playback of these direct-to-disc recordings, she said, "you feel like your soul is coming out of the speaker."
Education
Rhiannon Giddens attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, where she honed her skills in opera and historical performance, laying the foundation for her eclectic musical style. Her education, combined with her passion for folk music, has greatly influenced her trajectory in the music industry.
Rhiannon and her sister Lalenja grew up in Greensboro and nearby rural Gibsonville. Lalenja Harrington is a director for Beyond Academics, a four-year certificate program supporting students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. A singer and songwriter herself, Harrington occasionally collaborates with her sister on musical projects.
