Lindsay Lou

Lindsay Lou ( Lindsay Rachel Petroff; born ) is an American singer-songwriter and indie folk musician. She began performing bluegrass music professionally in 2009 with The Flatbellys in Lansing, Michigan. The band issued Release Your Shrouds in 2012, and their second album Ionia three years later. In 2018 Lou released the acclaimed Southland, and followed that up with the critically lauded Queen of Time in 2023. Her multipart project celebrating women in bluegrass, including the album Bluegrass Women, was presented following Lou's debut on the Grand Ole Opry in July 2026.

Early life and career Shortly after she was born in the Missouri coal mining country where her father was working, Lou's family moved to Iron Mountain in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Lou's mother was one of a dozen siblings, which resulted in "cousins, aunts and uncles jamming together" at large, musical family gatherings in the remote northern area. The album was called "an experiment in stretching the boundaries of bluegrass to breaking point, with infusions of blues, jazz, roots and soul." Queen of Time was released in 2023 with Lou by now embarking on a solo career. In an interview, Chris Parton described music where "lyrics and voice weave together into something like a sonic dreamcatcher – snatching ethereal truths from the cosmos and translating them in ways the mind can just begin to process." The voice of Lou's grandmother is heard on the album, and reviews noted the memories of her grandmother provided Lou with inspiration throughout a difficult period. The performance included contributions from Emma Rose, Wila Frank, and Rhonda Vincent, and featured a song by Ola Belle Reed.

Bluegrass Women, a collaborative album presented by Lou and featuring her with female guest artists performing ten bluegrass songs written by women, was released on August 14, 2026. Guest artists include Tatiana Hargreaves, Laurie Lewis, Hasee Ciaccio, Maddie Witler, Alison Brown, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle, Aoife O'Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz. A companion YouTube documentary series of the recording sessions was also released.

Personal life Lou graduated from Michigan State University in 2008 with bachelor's degrees in human biology and Spanish.

Lindsay Lou & The Flatbellys: Release Your Shrouds (2012) Ionia (2015)

Joshua Rilko and Lindsay Lou: Time & Luck (2013)

Lindsay Lou: Southland (2018) Queen of Time (2023) Bluegrass Women (2026)