Sierra Ferrell
Sierra Ferrell is a singer, songwriter, and musician from West Virginia whose music incorporates elements of country, gypsy jazz, folk, and Latin styles such as tango and calypso music. In 2021, she released her debut album "Long Time Coming" on Rounder Records to critical acclaim, and 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 album's release. Early life. Sierra Ferrell hails from West Virginia. She says that despite the state's history of bluegrass music, she  grew up instead on 90s music, especially grunge and punk music including Nirvana. She always expressed an interest in singing and playing music, however, including singing along to TV advert jingles as a child. In her early twenties, she adopted a nomadic lifestyle, busking up and down the country between cities such as Seattle and New Orleans. It was from the traveling musicians she met along the way that she discovered and fell in love with swing music, and she subsequently turned her love to bluegrass music, beginning to build acclaim and a fanbase as a result of her live  performances. She signed to Rounder Records in 2018 for a three-album deal on the strength of these live shows. Career. Early days and debut album "Long Time Coming". She uploaded an assortment of covers, original material and live performances on her YouTube channel before releasing her debut album. Live performances of many of the tracks which eventually appeared on her debut album can be found on YouTube - her performance of "In Dreams" on GemsOnVHS has nearly five million views - which helped build her a fanbase and generate hype for the album. Her first official releases for Rounder Records were  the singles "Jeremiah" and "Why'd Ya Do It" in 2020 in advance of the album, and at the end of 2020 she put out a series of Christmas songs. Her debut album "Long Time Coming" was released in August 2021 to critical acclaim, receiving a five-star review in UK-based publication "Country Music People", and a rating of 7.6/10 from "Paste" magazine and 7.6/10 from "Pitchfork". "Saving Country Music" gave it 8.5/10. 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  Sierra Ferrell shines brightest when she leans furthest into her own distinctive brand of jazz-inflected bluegrass. The album was co-produced by Gary Paczosa, and the album featured a number of well-known bluegrass musicians, including Sarah Jarosz and Billy Strings, which increased interest in Ferrell's music.