Allison Russell

Allison Russell, the Montreal singer, songwriter, musician, actress and activist, spent years as a band member before she ever stepped out alone, passing through Po' Girl, Birds of Chicago, Our Native Daughters and Sisters of the Strawberry Moon. When she finally went solo with Outside Child in 2021, it sounded like a record she'd been carrying around for decades: roots music with its arms wide open, folk and soul and Americana bleeding into one another, sung with a hush that can turn into a holler without warning.

The album was nominated for Best Americana Album at the Grammys, and "Nightflyer", which she co-wrote with Jeremy Lindsay, picked up nominations in both the American Roots Performance and American Roots Song categories. That same year she made the long list for the Polaris Music Prize.

The Returner, released in September 2023, is looser and more joyous, a record built on groove as much as grief, with "Stay Right Here" and the title track leading the way. It earned four Grammy nominations of its own, and "Eve Was Black" won Best American Roots Performance, the one win so far among her eight Grammy nominations. Juno Awards and Canadian Folk Music Awards have come her way too, and the Polaris jury put her on its shortlist in 2024.

Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.