Known for his emotive singing and literate narratives, Nairobi-born singer/songwriter Ondara emerged in his adopted home of Minneapolis in 2016. Inspired by Bob Dylan, the largely self-taught Ondara paid his dues on the Minneapolis folk scene before issuing his Verve debut, the Grammy-nominated Tales of America, in 2018. Following tours with Neil Young and Lindsey Buckingham, he delivered a set of raw pandemic recordings with 2020's Folk n' Roll, Vol. 1: Tales of Isolation. In 2022, Ondara further explored the themes of immigration and American identity that marked his debut with the ambitious character-driven concept album Spanish Villager No:3.