Allison Russell

---

title: "Allison Russell" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["living-people", "canadian-women-folk-singers", "21st-century-black-canadian-women-singers", "21st-century-canadian-women-singers", "year-of-birth-missing-(living-people)", "canadian-women-singer-songwriters", "canadian-folk-singer-songwriters", "canadian-people-of-scottish-descent", "canadian-people-of-grenadian-descent", "musicians-from-montreal", "canadian-queer-musicians", "canadian-lgbtq-singer-songwriters", "black-canadian-lgbtq-people", "juno-award-for-contemporary-roots-album-of-the-year-winners", "dawson-college-alumni", "21st-century-canadian-lgbtq-people", "grammy-award-winners", "21st-century-canadian-singer-songwriters", "canadian-indie-folk-musicians", "our-native-daughters-members"] description: "Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and activist" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allison_Russell" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian singer-songwriter, musician and activist ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox musical artist"]

Field	Value
name	Allison Russell
image	Allison Russell.jpg
caption	Russell in 2021
birth_place	Montreal, Quebec, Canada
genre
instruments
label	Fantasy
years_active	1999–present
current_member_of
website
::

| name = Allison Russell | image = Allison Russell.jpg | caption = Russell in 2021 | landscape = | birth_place = Montreal, Quebec, Canada | genre = | instruments = | label = Fantasy | years_active = 1999–present | current_member_of = | website =

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), four Canadian Folk Music Awards and two Juno Awards and has been named to the long list for the Polaris Music Prize in 2021, and shortlisted for the 2024 award.

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. From the ages of 5 to 15, she was physically and sexually abused by her adoptive father. At the age of 15, Russell ran away from home, eventually moving to Vancouver in 1998. She attended Dawson College.

Career

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

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Po'_Girl.jpg" caption="Russell performing with [[Po' Girl]] in 2009"] ::

In 2003, Russell formed the band Po' Girl with The Be Good Tanyas member Trish Klein. She recorded seven albums with the band: Po' Girl (2003), Vagabond Lullabies (2004), B-side Recordings (2006), Home to You (2007), Deer in the Night (2008), Live (2009), and Follow Your Bliss (2010). 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), and Love in Wartime (2018). With the group, she also released a live album, Live from Space, and an EP titled American Flowers in 2018.

In 2018, Russell joined the musical collective Our Native Daughters alongside fellow musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, and Amythyst Kiah. 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.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Allison_Russell_(51668030372).jpg" caption="Russell in 2020"] ::

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. For her work on the album, Russell was nominated for multiple awards, including four Canadian Folk Music Awards, the long list for the Polaris Music Prize, and a nomination for Emerging Act of the Year at the 2021 Americana Honors & Awards. She was nominated for this award both as a solo artist and in the duo/group category as a member of Our Native Daughters.

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). The album was a shortlisted finalist for the 2024 Polaris Music Prize.

In July 2024, Russell provided the voice of Teddi Barra in the Country Bear Musical Jamboree at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

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.

Russell is queer and stated in an interview that "I fall in the middle of the spectrum of orientation. I've been in love with women and I've been in love with men and I've been in love with trans people and I've been in love with non-binary people. I wound up falling in love and committing to share a life with a man, my husband. One could assume that I'm straight, but I am not and especially in this time of increased polarization and bigotry, it is really important that people understand that nothing is black and white. Nothing is simple and you can't assume that because I am married to a man and I have a child that I am a straight person. You can't say homophobic things to me and have it pass. Part of me wanted to really acknowledge that publicly". She stated that "Persephone", a song from her debut album, was written about her first love, a woman she met during her teenage years.

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[s] 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

::data[format=table title="List of albums, with selected chart positions"] | Title | Album details | Peak chart position | US Current | Outside Child | The Returner | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | | 65 | | | | | | | 47 | | | | | ::

Tim Readman & Fear Of Drinking

::data[format=table]

Title	Album details	In Black & White
::

Po' Girl

::data[format=table]

Title	Album details	Po' Girl	Vagabond Lullabies	Home to You	Deer in the Night	Po' Girl Live	Follow Your Bliss
::

Sankofa

::data[format=table]

Title	Album details	The Uptown Strut
::

Birds of Chicago

::data[format=table]

Title	Album details	Birds of Chicago	Live from Space	Real Midnight	American Flowers	Love in Wartime
::

Our Native Daughters

::data[format=table title="List of albums, with selected chart positions"] | Title | Album details | Peak chart position | TCA | Songs of Our Native Daughters | |---|---|---|---|---| | | 100 | | | | ::

Singles

As lead artist

::data[format=table] | Title | Year | Album | Ref. | "By Your Side / Landslide" | "Everything I Wanted" | "Nightflyer" | "Persephone" | "Montreal" | "The Runner" | "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" / "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" - French Version | "Persephone" - Luck Mansion Sessions | "All of the Women (Dim Star Remix)" (featuring Sa-Roc) | "You're Not Alone" (featuring Brandi Carlile) | "4th Day Prayer (Dim Star Remix)" (featuring Mumu Fresh) | "The Returner" | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2021 | Non-album singles}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Outside Child | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Non-album single}} | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2022 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 2023 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The Returner | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ::

As featured artist

::data[format=table] | Title | Year | Album | Ref. | "Prodigal Daughter" (Aoife O'Donovan featuring Allison Russell) | "Wildflower and Barley" | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | 2021 | Age of Apathy | | | | | | 2023 | Unreal Unearth: Unheard | | | | | ::

Theme parks attractions

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Note
2024	Country Bear Musical Jamboree	Teddi Barra
::

Notes

Awards and nominations

| name = Allison Russell | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | wins = 12 | nominations = 35 | award1 = Americana Music Honors & Awards | award1W = 2 | award1N = 9 | award2 = Canadian Folk Music Awards | award2W = 3 | award2N = 4 | award3 = Folk Alliance Awards | award3W = 2 | award3N = 2 | award4 = Grammy Awards | award4W = 1 | award4N = 8 | award5 = Juno Awards | award5W = 1 | award5N = 2 | award6 = Libera Awards | award6W = 0 | award6N = 3 | award7 = Polaris Music Prize | award7W = 0 | award7N = 1 | award8 = UK Americana Music Awards | award8W = 6 | award8N = 6

::data[format=table]

Year	Nominated work	Event	Award	Result	Ref.
2021	Outside Child	Polaris Music Prize
Herself	Americana Music Honors & Awards	Emerging Artist of the Year
Our Native Daughters	Duo/Group of the Year
2022	Outside Child	Grammy Awards		Best Americana Album
"Nightflyer"	Best American Roots Song
Best American Roots Performance
Herself	UK Americana Music Awards	International Artist of the Year
Outside Child	International Album of the Year
Canadian Folk Music Awards	Contemporary Album of the Year
Herself	English Songwriter of the Year
New/Emerging Artist of the Year
Pushing the Boundaries Award
Juno Awards	Songwriter of the Year
Outside Child	Contemporary Roots Album of the Year
Folk Alliance Awards	Album of the Year
Herself	Artist of the Year
Americana Music Honors & Awards
"Persephone"	Song of the Year
Outside Child	Album of the Year
2023	"You're Not Alone" (featuring Brandi Carlile)	UK Americana Music Awards	International Song of the Year
Herself	International Artist of the Year
"Prodigal Daughter" (with Aoife O'Donovan)	Grammy Awards	Best American Roots Performance
Herself	Libera Awards	A2IM Humanitarian Award
Breakthrough Artist/Release
"You're Not Alone" (featuring Brandi Carlile)	Best Singer-Songwriter Record
Americana Music Honors & Awards	Song of the Year
Herself	Artist of the Year
Spirit of Americana/Free Speech Award
2024	The Returner	UK Americana Music Awards	International Album of the Year
Herself	International Artist of the Year
The Returner	Grammy Awards	Best Americana Album
"The Returner"	Best American Roots Song
"The Returner"	Best Americana Performance
"Eve Was Black"	Best American Roots Performance
::

References

References

1. "Po' Girl".
2. Hight, Jewly. (2016-02-10). "Review: Birds Of Chicago, 'Real Midnight'". NPR.
3. Weber, Charlie. "Why These Four Banjo-Playing Women Resurrected the Songs of the Enslaved". [[Smithsonian Magazine]].
4. (July 12, 2022). "Allison Russell - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)". KEXP.
5. Willman, Chris. (2021-06-04). "Allison Russell's Beautiful, Harrowing ''Outside Child'' Is a Musical Memoir Nonpareil: Album Review".
6. Hudak, Joseph. (23 November 2021). "Chris Stapleton, Mickey Guyton Lead 2022 Country Grammy Nominees".
7. "Allison Russell artist page".
8. Uitti, Jacob. (13 November 2023). "Exclusive: Allison Russell Talks Grammy Nominations and Living a "Joyful" Life".
9. (2021-06-15). "Polaris Music has released its "Long List"—the 40 musical artists who are considered for the 2021 Polaris Music Prize".
10. "Canadian Folk Music Awards Announce 2022 Nominees {{!}} Exclaim!".
11. David Friend, [https://globalnews.ca/news/10619339/polaris-music-prize-shortlist-cindy-lee-beaches-charlotte-cardin-allison-russell/ "Calgary rock project Cindy Lee among acts shortlisted for Polaris Music Prize"]. [[Global News]], July 12, 2024.
12. Hight, Jewly. (2021-05-26). "Singer Allison Russell Shares Personal Saga Of Trauma And Triumph On ''Outside Child''". [[NPR]].
13. Pareles, Jon. (2021-05-13). "Allison Russell Faces Her Past in Song". [[The New York Times]].
14. Kelly, Brendan. (2021-06-10). "Montreal-born singer Allison Russell's music is all about resilience". [[The Gazette (Montreal).
15. Bernstein, Jonathan. (2021-03-19). "How Allison Russell Broke Free of Her Painful Past".
16. Readman, Tim. (2021-05-17). "'This is my path': Allison Russell on trauma, self-love and healing through music".
17. (n.d.). "Babe #320: Allison Russell".
18. Thornton, Stuart. (August 18, 2005). "Po' Girl brings the road tunes.".
19. (2009-11-12). "Po' Girl".
20. "Po' Girl Albums and Discography".
21. "Po' Girl – Follow Your Bliss".
22. "Birds Of Chicago On Mountain Stage". NPR.org.
23. "Birds of Chicago".
24. (10 May 2018). "StackPath".
25. (March 8, 2014). "Birds of Chicago 'Live From Space' - Self-Release".
26. Bernstein, Jonathan. (2021-02-08). "Our Native Daughters Documentary to Get TV Premiere".
27. "5 things to know about ''Outside Child'' by Allison Russell".
28. (2019-02-21). "Our Native Daughters: Songs of Our Native Daughters review – devastating beauty from banjo supergroup".
29. (2021-02-20). "Our Native Daughters bring Black women's voices, music to forefront in documentary".
30. Hall, Kristin M.. (February 22, 2021). "Giddens, 'Our Native Daughters,' highlight the struggle of Black women in music".
31. Bernstein, Jonathan. (2021-01-29). "Allison Russell Drops Mesmerizing Covers of Fleetwood Mac and Sade".
32. (2021-02-26). "Allison Russell Makes Billie Eilish's 'Everything I Wanted' Even Spookier: Listen".
33. (2021-03-19). "Birds of Chicago's Allison Russell Announces Debut Solo Album ''Outside Child'' {{!}} Exclaim!".
34. (16 April 2021). "StackPath".
35. Liptak, Carena. (May 5, 2021). "Listen: Allison Russell's 'Montreal' is a Mesmerizing, Bilingual Love Letter to Her Hometown".
36. Sexton, Paul. (2021-05-14). "Allison Russell Shares 'The Runner' From Solo Debut ''Outside Child''".
37. (2021-05-25). "Album Review: Allison Russell, ''Outside Child''".
38. Willman, Chris. (2021-05-26). "Jason Isbell, Allison Russell, Brandi Carlile Among Nominees for Americana Honors & Awards".
39. Bernstein, Jonathan. (2021-05-26). "Allison Russell Sings 'Nightflyer' With Brittney Spencer, Brandi Carlile on 'Kimmel'".
40. Collins, Robyn. (May 26, 2021). "Watch: Allison Russell Enlists Brandi Carlile, Brittney Spencer for Stunning 'Nightflyer' Performance on 'Jimmy Kimmel'".
41. Dowling, Marcus K.. (2021-05-26). "Brittney Spencer Joins Brandi Carlile for Allison Russell's 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Performance".
42. (2021-05-21). "Allison Russell Excavates the Pains of Her Past on Debut Outside Child".
43. Dowling, Marcus K.. (2021-06-21). "Allison Russell's a Proud, Black, and Queer ''Outside Child'' '[Saving] The World'".
44. "Allison Russell • Live at the Hall, 2021 - Allison Russell".
45. Belmore, Ryan. (2021-07-24). "Allison Russell performs on CBS This Morning this Saturday, curates headlining set on Sunday at Newport Folk".
46. (2021-07-24). "Saturday Sessions: Allison Russell performs "The Runner"". CBS News.
47. (26 September 2021). "14 Things That Changed (or Didn't) at Farm Aid 2021".
48. "2022 Grammys Awards Show: Complete Nominations List".
49. Emily Yahr. (February 15, 2022). "The Black Opry wants to bring diversity to country music". Philadelphia Tribune.
50. (17 August 2022). "Allison Russell Recruits Brandi Carlile to Reimagine "You're Not Alone"".
51. (15 March 2023). "Allison Russell on How Nashville's 'Love Rising' Concert Is Fighting Tennessee's Anti-LGBTQ Laws".
52. Laura Stanley, [https://exclaim.ca/music/article/allison_russell_interview_the_returner "Allison Russell Celebrates Her 'Fierce, Hard-Won Joy'"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]'', June 6, 2023.
53. Willman, Chris. (July 10, 2024). "First Look At Disney World's Revamped Country Bear Jamboree, Including New Nashville-Centric Voice Cast Mac McAnally, Allison Russell, Chris Thile, Emily Ann Roberts".
54. . (17 September 2024). ["Allison Russell to make Broadway debut in Hadestown"](https://www.cbc.ca/music/allison-russell-to-make-broadway-debut-hadestown-1.7325636). *CBC*.
55. . (July 16, 2025). ["Kronos Quartet + Allison Russell Concert"](https://nobelassembly.org/a-hard-rain/).
56. "Jeremy Lindsay".
57. Dickinson, Chrissie. (October 23, 2014). "Birds of Chicago a family thing, on and off stage".
58. Hight, Jewly. (2021-01-20). "Roots Music Roomies Allison Russell And Yola Worked To Get Somewhere In A Year of Staying Put".
59. (19 May 2021). "Allison Russell Gives a Voice to Queer Folks and Survivors on Solo Debut (Part 1 of 2)".
60. Rude, Mey. "Allison Russell".
61. "Artists4Ceasefire".
62. "Allison Russell Chart History (Top Current Albums Sales)".
63. Willman, Chris. (June 6, 2023). "Allison Russell Promises a Celebratory Groove for Second Solo Album, 'The Returner': 'We Don't Talk About Survivors' Joy Enough'".
64. (October 29, 2021). "Aoife O'Donovan Shares "Prodigal Daughter" Featuring Allison Russell". Shore Fire Media.
65. (August 8, 2023). "Hozier releases new album Unreal Unearth: Unheard". Spotify.
66. (February 18, 2019). "2021 Long List".
67. "Americana Awards 2021: A list of winners".
68. (17 November 2021). "UK Americana Awards 2022 nominations announced".
69. (2022-03-01). "Charlotte Cardin, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber lead 2022 Juno Award nominees".
70. (7 April 2022). "Allison Russell, Rhiannon Giddens, Arooj Aftab Among Folk Alliance Nominees".
71. "Americana Awards: Brandi Carlile, Allison Russell, Yola lead 2022 nominees". The Tennessean.
72. Freeman, Jon. (September 14, 2022). "Billy Strings, Allison Russell Win Top Prizes at 2022 Americana Honors & Awards".
73. (9 November 2022). "Loretta Lynn, Judy Collins, Mike Scott to be Honored at 2023 UK Americana Awards".
74. Aswad, Jem. (March 22, 2023). "Wet Leg Leads Nominations for A2IM's Indie Libera Awards".
75. "2023 Libera Award Nominees".
76. (28 November 2023). "UK Americana Awards 2024 nominations announced".
77. (November 10, 2023). "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List".

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