Kabir Sehgal to release stars and static, lo-fi tribute to American potential at 250, on March 26th

First single, "yankee newport doodlin'," out now HERE

GRAMMY-winning producer, multi-instrumentalist, and composer Kabir Sehgal will release stars and static, his musical tribute to the USA's 250th anniversary, on March 26th, 2026 (Lush Legacy). The second installment in his lo-fi album series (following this winter's bells and beats: retro reflections on the holidays), stars and static blends real-world field recordings captured on location with nylon-string guitar, negative-space textures, trippy tonalities, and melodies from some of the most deeply ingrained songs in American history. The result is a vivid, immersive portrait of the nation 250 years into the American Experiment - its beauty, contradictions, and enduring promise.

The first single, "yankee newport doodlin'," Kabir's take on "Yankee Doodle," is out now. Newport, Rhode Island is home to both the Naval War College and the Newport Jazz Festival, and on this track, Kabir sets the sounds of ships and foghorns to a sprawling, sultry guitar solo that, taken together, hints at two of the many chapters in his life (his Naval and his music careers). In a world that can feel dark, it's still that American drive - both as individuals with the freedom to pursue our own unique paths, and as a nation in pursuit of a more perfect union - that defines us.

Listen to "yankee newport doodlin'" HERE .

Elsewhere on the album, listeners are transported through a potpourri of soundscapes to sites and moments of significance to the US and its people. On "america's beautiful festival of ponce de leon," it's to Kabir's hometown of Atlanta, where he recorded the springtime crowds and nature sounds at the annual Festival on Ponce and sampled them into a lo-fi rendition of "America the Beautiful" that's a sonic love letter to the diverse communities and everyday people that make our country great. On "star spangling in boise," a slow, rollicking mashup of the "Star Spangled Banner" melody with the faint pitter-patter of the American bureaucratic system, it's to the Boise, Idaho state capitol. On "there's a grand old flag at lincoln center," it's to the scene outside NYC's most famous jazz hall, where Kabir first played during his high school years in the national Essentially Ellington Big Band competition, and met his mentor, Wynton Marsalis.

On the album's piece-de-resistance, "we shall overcome (selma sunrise)," it's to the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, where Congressman John Lewis was battered on Bloody Sunday in 1965. In 2017, while on a trip together to Selma, Kabir recorded Lewis reading a passage from Obama's 2015 speech commemorating 50 years since the 1965 marches. That unreleased audio is featured on the track alongside arpeggiating chords and swelling strings that echo the Congressman's progressive, hopeful message of change.

On stars and static, Kabir's field recordings, historical motifs, and dreamy, lo-fi, textured sounds create an atmosphere that feels like America in 2026 - lived-in, complicated, searching, and striving.

"In stars and static, I wanted to tune in to the signal. To what's enduring and hopeful, while also acknowledging the static we're all moving through. This is my snapshot of America at 250: imperfect, evolving, and human," said Kabir.