[4] She was a cellist with the Grammy Award–winning[5] string band Carolina Chocolate Drops,[6] but left to focus on her solo career.

[6] Her father Jocelyn McCalla[8] was the Executive Director of the New York–based National Coalition for Haitian Rights[9] from 1988 to 2006[10] and is credited as translator on her album Vari-Colored Songs.

[12][13] McCalla was born in Queens, New York City, and raised in Maplewood, New Jersey,[14] where she attended Columbia High School.

After a year at Smith College, she transferred to New York University to study cello performance and chamber music.

[6] Commentators have noted the influence of Louisiana musical traditions such as old Cajun fiddle melodies and trad-jazz banjo on the album.