Allison Russell
Folk / Americana
ActiveAbout
Allison Russell is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Russell was born in Montreal to a Grenadian father and a Scottish-Canadian teenage single mother. Prior to her solo music career, Russell performed as a member of various music groups including Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon. In 2003, Russell formed the band Po' Girl with The Be Good Tanyas member Trish Klein. Birds of Chicago is an Americana/folk band founded in March 2012 in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The band is led by husband and wife, JT Nero and Allison Russell. As part of Birds of Chicago, Russell released three studio albums: "Birds of Chicago" (2012), "Real Midnight" (2016) and "Love in Wartime" (2018). After relocating to Nashville, Russell and Nero announced in February 2021 that Birds of Chicago would go on "indefinite hiatus" in order to focus on the release of Russell's solo album, "Outside Child." She released her first solo album, "Outside Child," in 2021. The album was nominated for a 2022 Grammy Award in the Best Americana Album category. Russell's powerful voice, her honest songwriting about difficult subjects including childhood trauma, and her activism have made her an important voice in contemporary Americana and folk music. Her ability to transform personal pain into healing art has resonated with audiences around the world.