Allison Russell

A compelling Canadian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Allison Russell made her name in the 2000s as a member of the eclectic roots group Po' Girl before forming the gospel-folk duo Birds of Chicago in 2012 with her husband and creative partner, JT Nero. Taking inspiration from a wide array of sources, Russell's songs have threaded through jazz, country, folk, Celtic, klezmer, and blues to become a distinctive amalgam of her own making. She is also a member of the all-female banjo-focused group Our Native Daughters. In 2021, after two decades of musical exploration, Russell made her solo debut with the award-winning Outside Child. Her follow-up, the joyful, Grammy-winning The Returner, arrived two years later.