Paula Prieto Covers Billie Holiday, Selena, & Stevie Wonder As Reflection On American Songbook For Songs of U.S.

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The Music and Conversation Series From Salt Lick Sessions Also Features Durand Bernarr, Brandy Clark, Swamp Dogg, MARIS, Joy Oladokun, Old Crow Medicine Show, Maggie Rose, Raye Zaragoza and More

In Today's New Session, Paula Prieto Reflects On Intersectionality, Self Love, & America's Melting Pot | Raheem DeVaughn's Sessions Kick Off July 16

July 13, 2026 - Today, Paula Prieto reflects on independence and strength with her heartfelt rendition of Billie Holiday'ssong "God Bless the Child" for Salt Lick Sessions' Songs of U.S. series, along with the release of her interview about the importance of intersectionality in modern America.

Songs of U.S. is a performance and conversation series that brings together musicians from across genres to reinterpret songs that have shaped the country's cultural identity while exploring what belongs in the American songbook today. Watch Salt Lick Incubator's president Liza Levy discuss the series and America's musical legacy in her interview on MS Now's Morning Joe .

Today, Salt Lick Sessions premiered Paula Prieto's performance of Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child," which the Latin American indie-folk musician selected as a song she considers belonging to the American songbook. In her interview out today, Prieto describes how America's socio-political climate in the 1940s, which is when "God Bless the Child" was written, mirrors today's climate. Holiday wrote the song's famous lyric ("God bless the child that's got his own") after her mother refused to loan her financial support, despite Holiday having often lent her mother assistance, and Prieto felt represented themes of independence and financial hardship in today's America.

"There's this ideal of what our life can be - or what our life should be - as people or as Americans," Prieto says in her interview, "but there's something in this song that reveals a person that's alone in a materialistic world… you just have to go out and fend for yourself."

Tomorrow (July 14), Prieto's cover of Stevie Wonder's "Overjoyed" will go live, which she chose as a ballad that deserves to be in the American songbook due to the groundbreaking influence that Wonder has had on American music.

On Wednesday (July 15), Prieto's rendition of Selena's "No Me Queda Más" will air, which will be the first Songs of U.S. session to be performed entirely in Spanish. Similar to Selena, who was born in America but crafted music influenced by her Mexican heritage, Prieto was also born in the U.S, but is musically inspired by her family's Argentine roots. "She's very much from the [United] States, but Mexico embraced her so much," Prieto says. "I feel really drawn to that because I feel that reflected a lot in my own story."

Watch Paula Prieto's "God Bless the Child" performance HERE .

Watch Paula Prieto's Songs of U.S. interview HERE .

Forthcoming sessions featuring Durand Bernarr, Brandy Clark, Swamp Dogg, MARIS, Joy Oladokun, Old Crow Medicine Show, Maggie Rose, Raye Zaragoza, and more will roll out throughout the summer via Salt Lick Sessions' YouTube channel and social platforms. Last week, sessions with Trousdale and PAMÉwent live, and Raheem DeVaughn's sessionswill begin rolling out this week on July 16.

Across the series, artists reinterpret works by writers including Woody Guthrie, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Beyoncé, Bill Withers, Roberta Flack and John Denver. Featured performances include Amy Grant 's take on "Carolina in My Mind," Mickey Guyton revisiting "Take Me Home, Country Roads," Tiny Habits reimagining "Blowin' in the Wind," Joy Oladokun performing "Ain't No Sunshine," Brittney Spencer interpreting "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and Samara Joy performing Duke Ellington's "Le Sucrier-Velours."

Variety noted thatSongs of U.S. arrives amid renewed conversations about patriotism and American identity, describing the project as offering "a more thoughtful and perhaps meaningfully patriotic approach" to celebrating the nation's 250th anniversary. You can read more about the series in Variety HERE .

About Salt Lick Sessions

Salt Lick Incubator's signature series, Salt Lick Sessions, is known for its artist-first approach to compensation, rights, and creative collaboration. The series takes viewers on a nationwide discovery tour, featuring more than 50 musicians each year through intimate video portraits that invite viewers directly into the artist's realm. Past performers include Jon Batiste, Big Freedia, Sheryl Crow, Lalah Hathaway, Mickey Guyton, Madison Cunningham, Tank and the Bangas, Dawes, and many more.

About Salt Lick Incubator

Salt Lick Incubator is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting innovative musicians at critical stages of their careers. Founded by Roger Brown, former president of Berklee College of Music and Liza Levy, the organization provides grants, mentorship, creative development and media platforms for artists building sustainable careers. Its signature series, Salt Lick Sessions, is known for its artist-first approach.

For more information, please contact [email protected] .