The Mississippi-born singer is one of the leaders of the global Cajun music fraternity. It’s a genre that although deeply embedded in America’s heartland, continues to be performed widely in foreign territories. Dating back to the late 18th century in the American state of Louisiana, Cajun music is often referred to as a subgenre of Americana, with its associated country and folk influences.

Where those styles follow a measured pace, however, traditional Cajun music is distinguished by its sheer peppiness – tracks often have a pounding, up-tempo beat as fiddles and accordions battle for melodic control. The musical exuberance is often complemented by lyrics that can move from dark tales of hard luck and unrequited love to humorous odes to relationships. Savoy’s punk roots shone through in the release, with modern and traditional Cajun songs delivered in an almost rockabilly style.

However, the tunes only form a soundtrack to what Savoy calls the “Cajun way of life”. In a way, the genre is similar to hip-hop in that the music offers a window to a wider culture. “It’s our music, our food and the way we live and work together,” she says. “So no matter where we live, that way of life is still with us.

“I was playing in a punk-rock band,” she recalls. “And then, just listening to Cajun music during that time, I realised that a lot of these songs were written by men. They would sing about how their poor little wife left them. “Then, when the rare woman would sing – which was, like, only a handful of them in a hundred years – they would sing about what will they do without their big man. “Now, I am not a feminist,” she says, but explains that she instead “wanted to focus on Cajun music’s other subjects, which are really about having a good time”.

Savoy is a recipient of a 1992 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts

Cast: Srah Savoy (Guitar & Voice), Manolo Gonzales (Guitar & Voice), Michel Lemare (Bass, Violin), Thomas Bailey (Violin & Guitar), Marty Vickers (Drums), David Rolland (Guitar & Voice)