Sir Woman kicks off North American tour at Meow Wolf
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Funk and soul inspired singer-songwriter Sir Woman (aka Kelsey Wilson), a darling of the Austin music scene, kicks off her 2025 North American tour at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe on Saturday, March 15. Her backing band includes longtime collaborators and supporting vocalists Uncle Roy and Spice.
鈥淚 love Santa Fe,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚 actually wrote a lot of the new songs in Santa Fe at the El Rey (Hotel), so Santa Fe is like my hideaway home.鈥�
Sir Woman鈥檚 tour follows the Feb. 21 release of 鈥淚f It All Works Out,鈥� the first half of her new double album. The second half, 鈥淚f It Doesn鈥檛,鈥� comes out on May 16.
鈥淚t sounds like it鈥檚 albums for a good day or a bad day, but they both share the same purpose of making you feel good,鈥� she said.
Sir Woman won Best New Act at the 2020 Austin Music Awards and Band of the Year in 2023. But she initially faced pushback from people in the music industry who thought her new direction was too different from that of her celebrated folk band, Wild Child.
鈥淭he main thing was people telling me you can鈥檛 start another (band). You have to choose,鈥� she said. 鈥淎lso, within the booking world, people were constantly like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 want Sir Woman, but here鈥檚 an offer for Wild Child.鈥� They were not really giving it a chance and then still booking Sir Woman at folk festivals and stuff just because they wanted Wild Child.鈥�
Ironically, Wilson said these incongruous bookings ended up helping her career, because they allowed her to stand out.
鈥淚t would be a bunch of Americana singer-songwriters and then this one funk band. So, it鈥檚 actually kind of worked out,鈥� she said.
Although Wilson has been touring with Wild Child for 15 years, she said, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 listen to any folk or Americana, so it鈥檚 kind of funny that I鈥檝e been in that world this whole time.鈥�
Rather, her favorite artists 鈥� and her biggest inspirations for her work as Sir Woman 鈥� are Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone and Aretha Franklin.
鈥淚鈥檓 stuck in the 鈥�70s and always have been,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what鈥檚 always made me feel good since I was a kid.鈥�
Wilson said she鈥檚 grateful for past artists who have not allowed themselves to be pigeonholed. She mentioned how Ray Charles fought to make a country album, and how Sly Stone crossed all barriers imaginable.
鈥淪ly is one of my all-time favorites,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 the first person of color making psychedelic rock, then integrating disco and funk, just blending it all, and having a band with male and female and Black and white, and playing all kinds of music, which was the most mind-blowing, not-allowed thing within the music industry.鈥�
In addition to crossing genres, as Sir Woman, Wilson has resisted pressures to change her appearance.
鈥淏eing a female is not easy in the industry if you don鈥檛 look a certain way,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd if you do look a certain way, you don鈥檛 even have to make good music. It鈥檚 really weird for women.鈥�
Fortunately, she said her fans have always supported her.
鈥淚 feel like the audience knows who I am everywhere I go, like personally. Every night feels like a beautiful reunion,鈥� she said.
Sir Woman has a fascinating origin story. Both the funk band concept and the name 鈥淪ir Woman鈥� itself arrived in a moment of psychedelic serendipity.
鈥淚 was on tour with Wild Child in Florida at a really crazy EDM festival,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know how we were booked there. It was massive. And I remember The Funky Meters were playing at the same time as Snoop Dogg, who was headlining. I was like, I can鈥檛 believe The Meters are still touring! This is crazy! I鈥檓 gonna see them! And no one was there. Everyone was at Snoop Dogg.鈥�
鈥淚 was on a lot of mushrooms, honestly,鈥� she continued. 鈥淎nd I was having this really heavy musical experience. And I was like, I would rather be the band playing to no one and playing this kind of music that makes me feel so good!鈥�
So, she vowed to form a funk band of her own.
Then, when The Meters finished, she headed back to the artist鈥檚 lounge.
鈥淚t was really cold, so I was bundled up in all these blankets, and the security guard couldn鈥檛 see that I had an artist badge. She was yelling at me. 鈥楽ir!鈥� Then, I turned around, and she goes 鈥榃oman!鈥� And the name just hit me in the face. 鈥楽ir Woman.鈥� It was immediate.鈥�
Seven years later, the lineup of Sir Woman鈥檚 backing band has changed several times, but their feel-good grooves have only gotten funkier and their live shows more exuberant.
鈥淚t鈥檚 like a love party,鈥� she said.
Sir Woman kicks off North American tour at Meow Wolf
