Johanna Warren: A Lyrical Force in Folk Music

10:57 AM EDT on May 28, 2026

Every time folk musician Johanna Warren releases new music I am awestruck by her acute lyrical powers. Last year she released a magical EP that reconnected with her younger self called The Night Of The Wind , which was then followed by the poignant single “ New Song Old Prayer ." Yesterday, she returned with a new single "brave & capable," a sparse acoustic guitar-led track brimming with heavy aphorisms like "I was so afraid of pain I went and caused a lot of pain" and "How much of your faith is truth distorted into lies disguised as truth?"

“brave & capable” was self-released and recorded alone in Warren's bedroom in Wales. The track unravels as a conversation between friends where they forage for breakthroughs and truth. It comes with a visual, co-directed by Warren and longtime collaborator Richey Beckett, which was also shot in Warren's bedroom — thousands of photographs compiled into stop motion animation where the song's lyrics meander across Warren's skin.

Watch it below.

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_Originally reported by [Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2500368/johanna-warren-brave-capable/music/)._