Cleo Reed

they/them

Cleo Reed is a Brooklyn-based multi-disciplinary artist reshaping the boundaries of American folk and country music. A New York upbringing rooted in classical percussion training at Harlem School of the Arts, punk guitar in the influential band Pretty Sick, and sound engineering studies at Berklee College of Music culminate in a genre-defying sound that reclaims folk as an ideological force rather than a stylistic box. Their 2025 sophomore album CUNTRY, praised by Pitchfork, is a sprawling double LP exploring labor, identity, and Black Southern folk traditions, featuring collaborations with Billy Woods, Annahstasia, and Elliott Skinner. Cleo has toured globally opening for Lenny Kravitz and continues to push the boundaries of Americana as one of the leading voices reclaiming country and folk music's Black roots.

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