Allison Russell

Allison Russell is a compelling singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist with strong ties to the folk community. She first made her name as a member of the eclectic Canadian roots group Po' Girl before forming the duo Birds of Chicago in 2012 with her husband and creative partner, JT Nero. Taking inspiration from an 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. Not unlike fellow her Our Native Daughters bandmate Rhiannon Giddens, her musical versatility has made her difficult to pigeonhole and helped establish her as a linchpin of roots music in general. In 2021, after two decades of musical exploration, Russell made her solo debut with the Juno Award-winning Outside Child. Her follow-up, the joyful, Grammy-winning The Returner, arrived two years later, followed in 2026 by In the Hour of Chaos, a collaborative set featuring appearances from artists like Norah Jones and Ruby Amanfu.