Americana’s newcomer Jobi Riccio faces the pressure on her new record

For the past year, every time I’ve talked to someone deeply plugged into the Americana scene, one name has kept coming up: Jobi Riccio.

The young songwriter from Colorado is a rising star, earning the John Prine Songwriter Fellowship in 2023. Today, you’ll hear what all the buzz is about as Riccio performs songs — including an unreleased one — from her upcoming album, Face the Feeling, out May 15.

It’s her sophomore record. In addition to showcasing her bluegrass and country chops, it also draws on other influences, including indie rock.

Coming up, we talk about her Colorado roots, her songwriting process and how she says the impact of winning the John Prine fellowship has grown even more over time.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod.  Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe‘s engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.