Sierra Ferrell

Biography

Sierra Elizabeth Ferrell (born August 3, 1988) is an American singer-songwriter and musician from West Virginia. Her 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×Pretty Magic Spell7 November 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Hold Over Me2:482Littlebird3:213Johnny3:594Tidal Wave4:535Pretty Magic Spell4:056Tease3:017Dead or Drunk3:348Wet Your Whistle2:489All the While1:5010Coffee Bean4:1211You Can't Tell Me Who to Love3:25 in 2018 and Washington by the Sea×Washington by the Sea8 April 2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Washington by the Sea2:332Stranger3:013I'll Come Off the Mountain1:384Rocket3:305The Sea2:326No More Frowns4:157My Name2:248Snake River2:239The Best1:4910Broken2:1011Shiver2:4412Rosemary4:2713Pair for Two2:18 in 2019, she released Long Time Coming in 2021 with Rounder Records, to critical acclaim. Accompanying videos for singles "The Sea×The Sea2 June 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1The Sea3:332Jeremiah3:043Why’d Ya Do It3:38", "In Dreams×In Dreams25 June 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1In Dreams2:422The Sea3:333Jeremiah3:044Why’d Ya Do It3:38", and "Bells of Every Chapel×Bells of Every Chapel23 July 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Bells of Every Chapel4:152In Dreams2:423The Sea3:334Jeremiah3:045Why’d Ya Do It3:38" (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×Trail of Flowers22 March 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1American Dreaming4:172Dollar Bill Bar3:293Fox Hunt3:184Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County3:025Wish You Well3:386Money Train2:407I Could Drive You Crazy3:368Why Haven’t You Loved Me Yet2:159Rosemary3:3610Lighthouse3:3911I’ll Come Off the Mountain1:4512No Letter2:21 in March 2024, which won her four Grammy Awards.

Early life

Sierra Elizabeth 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 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 experienced drug addiction stemming from her wayfaring lifestyle, 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×Pretty Magic Spell7 November 2018 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Hold Over Me2:482Littlebird3:213Johnny3:594Tidal Wave4:535Pretty Magic Spell4:056Tease3:017Dead or Drunk3:348Wet Your Whistle2:489All the While1:5010Coffee Bean4:1211You Can't Tell Me Who to Love3:25 in 2018, and Washington by the Sea×Washington by the Sea8 April 2019 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Washington by the Sea2:332Stranger3:013I'll Come Off the Mountain1:384Rocket3:305The Sea2:326No More Frowns4:157My Name2:248Snake River2:239The Best1:4910Broken2:1011Shiver2:4412Rosemary4:2713Pair for Two2:18 in 2019, which she sold while busking. In addition to these albums, she posted covers, original material and live performances to her YouTube channel. In 2018, a recording of her song "In Dreams×In Dreams25 June 2021 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1In Dreams2:422The Sea3:333Jeremiah3:044Why’d Ya Do It3:38" 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 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×Long Time Coming20 August 2021 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1The Sea3:332Jeremiah3:043Bells of Every Chapel4:154At the End of the Rainbow3:405West Virginia Waltz3:346Silver Dollar2:067Far Away Across the Sea3:188Why’d Ya Do It3:389Give It Time3:3810In Dreams2:4211Made Like That3:4112Whispering Waltz3:22 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×Ready or Not9 February 2022 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Ready or Not3:12". 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×Trail of Flowers22 March 2024 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1American Dreaming4:172Dollar Bill Bar3:293Fox Hunt3:184Chittlin’ Cookin’ Time in Cheatham County3:025Wish You Well3:386Money Train2:407I Could Drive You Crazy3:368Why Haven’t You Loved Me Yet2:159Rosemary3:3610Lighthouse3:3911I’ll Come Off the Mountain1:4512No Letter2:21. 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×Fox Hunt19 October 2023 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Fox Hunt3:17", "Dollar Bill Bar×Dollar Bill Bar18 January 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Dollar Bill Bar3:292Fox Hunt3:18", "I Could Drive You Crazy×I Could Drive You Crazy15 February 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1I Could Drive You Crazy3:362Dollar Bill Bar3:293Fox Hunt3:18", and "American Dreaming×American Dreaming19 March 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1American Dreaming (single edit)3:582American Dreaming4:17", 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×Someone Like You13 September 2024 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Someone Like You5:01" with Lukas Nelson (son of Willie Nelson), as well as other collaborations with Hogslop String Band and Colony House.
On February 28, 2026, Ferrell performed with Mumford & Sons on Saturday Night Live.