Allison Russell

Allison Russell is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, actress and activist.

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. 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, and the single "Nightflyer" was nominated for both the Best American Roots Performance (Russell) and Best American Roots Song (Russell and Jeremy Lindsay, co-writers).

Her second album, The Returner was released in September 2023. The album received four Grammy Award nominations including Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Performance for the album's title track "The Returner". It also won the Grammy Award for Best American Roots Performance for the single "Eve Was Black".

Russell has received a total of eight Grammy nominations (with one win),

Early life and education Russell was born in Montreal to a Grenadian father and a Scottish-Canadian teenage single mother. Her mother struggled with postpartum depression and schizophrenia, and Russell was initially placed in foster care. Her mother regained custody of her after marrying a white-supremacist American expatriate. She attended Dawson College.

Career Russell was initially a member of the Vancouver-based Celtic folk band Fear of Drinking.

In 2003, Russell formed the band Po' Girl with The Be Good Tanyas member Trish Klein. In 2011, Russell's work with the second iteration of Sankofa Strings—Sankofa—recording "The Uptown Strut" (with Grammy award-winning artist Dom Flemons, the Lovin' Spoonful's John Sebastian, Grammy-nominated Professor Louie (Aaron Hurwitz), Súle Greg Wilson, and Ndidi Onukwulu), was released on the Kingswood Records label. Russell penned "If Wishes Were Gold", the only original on the album.

The following year, Russell formed the music group Birds of Chicago with JT Nero. As part of Birds of Chicago, Russell released three studio albums: Birds of Chicago (2012), Real Midnight (2016), With the group, she also released a live album, Live from Space, and an EP titled American Flowers in 2018. In 2019, the group released the album Songs of Our Native Daughters under the Smithsonian Folkways label. Russell was also featured alongside the rest of the group in a Smithsonian Channel documentary titled Reclaiming History: Our Native Daughters. As a single, Russell released covers of the songs "By Your Side" by Sade and "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac in January 2021. She also released a cover of "Everything I Wanted" by Billie Eilish as a single in February 2021.

In March 2021, Russell released "Nightflyer" as the first single from her album Outside Child. She followed this up with the single "Persephone," released in April of the same year. She also released the singles "Montreal" and "The Runner" ahead of the album's full release.

On May 21, 2021, Russell released her first solo album Outside Child under Fantasy Records. The album explores her experiences during her youth, including her recovery from the trauma of her childhood abuse.

Russell performed her song "Nightflyer" with guests Brandi Carlile and Brittney Spencer on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! aired on May 25, 2021. On May 28, 2021, Russell made her debut at the Grand Ole Opry. In the same year, she also performed at the Country Music Hall of Fame. She performed several songs from Outside Child live on CBS This Morning Saturday on July 24, 2021.

On September 25, 2021, Russell performed at the annual Farm Aid event in Hartford, Connecticut.

In November 2021, Russell received three Grammy nominations (Best American Roots Performance; Best American Roots Song; Best Americana Album). A month later, she was one of several artists to perform with the Black Opry, a revue focused on black artists in country music. On August 18, 2022, she and Brandi Carlile released a re-imagining of "You're Not Alone" which previously appeared on the Songs of Our Native Daughters album.

In March 2023, Russell organized Love Rising, an all-star benefit concert, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville in response to Tennessee's anti-LGBT+ legislation.

Russell's second solo album, The Returner, was released on September 8, 2023. In November 2023, Russell received four Grammy nominations for it (Best American Roots Performance; Best American Roots Song; Best Americana Album; Best Americana Performance).

In September 2024, it was announced that Russell would be making her Broadway debut, performing the role of Persephone in the musical Hadestown. Her performances begin on November 12, 2024.

On July 16, 2025, the 80th anniversary of the world's first nuclear weapon test, Trinity (nuclear test), Russell performed, with the Kronos Quartet, Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" at The University of Chicago. This event closed the Nobel Laureate Assembly for the Prevention of Nuclear War.

Personal life In 2013, Russell married her Birds of Chicago bandmate Jeremy Lindsay (stage name JT Nero). They were close friends and housemates. Russell gave birth to their daughter, Ida, in 2014.

In 2023, she told Out that she was a "hopeful agnostic", adding that she believed that "empathy is a superpower and that diversity is not a dirty word" and said she "resist the divide-and-conquer tactics of all toxic hierarchies... Our differences are riches... Our rainbow coalition is unstoppable."

Russell signed the October 2023 Artists4Ceasefire open letter addressed to President Joe Biden during the war in Gaza following the October 7 attacks.

Band Allison Russell - vocals, guitar, banjo, clarinet Elenna Canlas - musical director, keyboards, melodica, backing vocals Ganessa James - bass, acoustic guitar, backing vocals Yissy Garcia - drums, percussion, backing vocals Joy Clark - acoustic and electric guitars, backing vocals Caoimhe Hopkinson - acoustic and electric guitars, bass, backing vocals Caoi de Barra - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Previous band members: Larissa Maestro - cello, backing vocals SistaStrings (Monique and Chauntee Ross) - cello and violin, backing vocals Mandy Fer - electric guitar, backing vocals Megan Coleman/Elizabeth Goodfellow - drums

Discography Studio albums Solo albums + List of albums, with selected chart positionsTitleAlbum detailsPeak chart position USCurrent Outside Child Released: May 21, 2021 Label: Fantasy Format: Digital download, streaming, CD, vinyl 65 The Returner Released: September 8, 2023 Label: Fantasy Format: Digital download, streaming, CD, vinyl 47 In The Hour of Chaos Released: July 10, 2026 Label: Fantasy Format: Digital download, streaming, CD, vinyl

Tim Readman & Fear Of Drinking Title Album details In Black & White Released: 1999 Label: Big City Productions Format: CD

Po' Girl Title Album details Po' Girl Released: June 10, 2003 Label: Jericho Beach Format: CD, digital download Vagabond Lullabies Released: September 21, 2004 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD, digital download Home to You Released: February 13, 2007 Label: Nettwerk Format: CD, digital download Deer in the Night Released: March 9, 2009 Label: Po' Girl Music Format: CD, digital download Po' Girl Live Released: 2009 Label: Po' Girl Music Format: CD, digital download Follow Your Bliss Released: July 20, 2010 Label: Po' Girl Music Format: CD, digital download

Sankofa Title Album details The Uptown Strut Released: 2011 Label: Kingswood Records Format: CD

Birds of Chicago Title Album details Birds of Chicago Released: October 1, 2012 Label: Chicago Bird Music Format: CD, digital download Live from Space Released: December 5, 2013 Label: Chicago Bird Music Format: CD, digital download Real Midnight Released: February 19, 2016 Label: Chicago Bird Music, BSMF Format: CD, digital download American Flowers Released: November 17, 2017 Label: Chicago Bird Music, Signature Sounds Format: CD, digital download Love in Wartime Released: May 4, 2018 Label: Chicago Bird Music, BSMF, Signature Sounds Format: CD, LP, digital download, streaming

Our Native Daughters + List of albums, with selected chart positionsTitleAlbum detailsPeak chart position TCA "Wildflower and Barley" 2023 Unreal Unearth: Unheard "Pathways" (Julian Tayor featuring Allison Russell) 2024 Pathways

Theme parks attractions Year Title Role Note 2024 Country Bear Musical Jamboree Teddi Barra