# Sierra Ferrell

Sierra Elizabeth Ferrell (born August 3, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from West Virginia, whose music incorporates elements of folk, bluegrass, and gypsy jazz, and styles such as tango and calypso music.
After self-releasing the albums Pretty Magic Spell in 2018 and Washington by the Sea in 2019, she released Long Time Coming in 2021 with Rounder Records, to critical acclaim. Accompanying videos for singles "The Sea", "In Dreams", and "Bells of Every Chapel" (featuring Billy Strings) were uploaded to her YouTube channel in the weeks and months preceding the Long Time Coming's release. Ferrell stayed with the label for her fourth album Trail of Flowers in March 2024, which won her four Grammy Awards.

## Early life

Sierra Ferrell was born in Charleston, West Virginia. After her parents divorced when she was around five years old, she lived with her mother and one of her two siblings in a trailer. This led to her spending less time with electronics and more time exploring outside. Despite her home state's deep-rooted history in bluegrass music, Ferrell instead grew up listening to cassette tapes of '90s music that her mother owned, taking interest in such acts as 10,000 Maniacs and Tracy Chapman.
Ferrell's musical journey began in childhood, playing clarinet and singing choir in school, eventually learning to play guitar and even once, performing Shania Twain covers at a local bar. In her teens, she joined 600 lbs of Sin! as the vocalist, who started as a Grateful Dead cover group, but later turned into a blues and roots jam band. She left the band for some time in 2012 to freighthop. Ferrell rejoined in 2013, but after feeling constrained creatively, she departed the band to independently pursue her musical aspirations.
In her early twenties, she adopted a nomadic lifestyle, hitch-hiking, freighthopping, and living in her van, with the majority of her time spent busking between Seattle and New Orleans. By this point, Ferrell had turned her attention towards playing folk music and its various offshoots, with fellow busking group Yes Ma'am making a particular impression on her musical style. It was also during this time that Ferrell was in the throes of drug addiction stemming from her wayfaring way of life, claiming to have died "five times" from narcotics overdoses. After these experiences, she decided to get clean and change her lifestyle in favor of improved health and positive relationships.

## Career

Ferrell self-released two albums, Pretty Magic Spell in 2018, and Washington by the Sea in 2019, which she sold while busking. In addition to these albums, she posted an assortment of covers, original material and live performances to her YouTube channel. In 2018, a recording of her song "In Dreams" was recorded and posted by the YouTube channel "GemsOnVHS", attracting millions of views. Around the same time, she was also frequently performing at "Honky Tonk Tuesday's" hosted at Nashville's American Legion Post 82, eventually capturing the attention of Gary Paczosa, a producer best known for his collaborations with Alison Krauss and Dolly Parton. With the help of Paczosa, she signed to Rounder Records for a three-album deal in 2019.
Following the release of singles "Jeremiah" and "Why'd Ya Do It", Ferrell's album Long Time Coming was released in August 2021. Co-produced by Paczosa and featuring a number of established bluegrass musicians, including Sarah Jarosz and Billy Strings, the album received critical acclaim, reaching number 15 on the Billboard Americana/Folk Albums chart. The album received a five-star review from UK-based publication Country Music People, a rating of 7.6/10 from Paste magazine and 7.6/10 from Pitchfork. Varsity UK said "Long Time Coming will easily be the only album of its type emerging from the music city of Nashville this year", adding that Ferrell "shines brightest when she leans furthest into her own distinctive brand of jazz-inflected bluegrass".
In 2022, she performed backing vocals on The Black Keys album Dropout Boogie. and collaborated with Ray LaMontagne's track "I Was Born to Love You", which landed itself a position on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay.
Ferrell collaborated with American country star Zach Bryan on the track "Holy Roller" from his self-titled fourth studio album. The song debuted at number 37 on the Billboard Hot 100. That same year, she collaborated with Shakey Graves on the fourth song from his album, Movie of the Week, titled "Ready or Not". The song, which was recorded in two hours, peaked at 15th on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
On March 22, 2024, Ferrell released her fourth album, Trail of Flowers. In her own words, she aimed to make people "feel nostalgic for the past, but excited about the future of music." Preceded by its singles "Fox Hunt", "Dollar Bill Bar", "I Could Drive You Crazy", and "American Dreaming", the album earned several awards—at the 2024 Americana Music Honors & Awards, Trail of Flowers was awarded "Album of the Year", with Ferrell winning "Artist of the Year". At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was awarded Best Americana Album, with "American Dreaming" winning Best Americana Performance and Best American Roots Song, and "Lighthouse" winning Best American Roots Performance. Throughout the course of the year, Ferrell featured on tracks with several artists, including "Never Love You Again" with Post Malone, a bluegrass-style cover of Adele's "Someone Like You" with Lukas Nelson (son of Willie Nelson), as well as other collaborations with Hogslop String Band and Colony House.

## Discography
### Albums

* Pretty Magic Spell (2018, Opika/Independent)
* Washington by the Sea (2019, Opika/Independent)
* Long Time Coming (2021, Rounder)
* Trail of Flowers (2024, Rounder) – No. 106 US Billboard 200

## Awards and nominations

| Ceremony | Year | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Americana Music Honors & Awards | 2022 | Emerging Artist of the Year | Herself | Won |
| Americana Music Honors & Awards | 2024 | Artist of the Year | Herself | Won |
| Americana Music Honors & Awards | 2024 | Album of the Year | Trail of Flowers | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2025 | Best Americana Album | Trail of Flowers | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2025 | Best American Roots Song | "American Dreaming" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2025 | Best Americana Performance | "American Dreaming" | Won |
| Grammy Awards | 2025 | Best American Roots Performance | "Lighthouse" | Won |