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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]

Sierra Ferrell performs at the Hollywood Theatre in Vancouver, Canada, March 9, 2022

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,[5] and at the end of 2020 she put out a series of Christmas songs.[6] 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[7] and 7.6/10 from Pitchfork.[8] Saving Country Music gave it 8.5/10.[9] 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".[10] 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.

References
  1. "Home". Sierra Ferrell. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  2. "Sierra Ferrell's Genre-Bending Bluegrass". Garden & Gun. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  3. "Sierra Ferrell's Captivating New Album 'Long Time Coming' is Out Today". Rounder Records. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  4. Dongray, Emily (2021-08-17). "Sierra Ferrell "Long Time Coming"". Americana UK. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  5. "Sierra Ferrell's "Jeremiah" and "Why'd Ya Do It," Out Today, Offer Intriguing Preview of Forthcoming Album". Rounder Records. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  6. Ken. "Sierra Ferrell Covers Brenda Lee and Bobby Helms". Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  7. "It's a Long Time Coming, But Sierra Ferrell Has Figured Herself Out". pastemagazine.com. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  8. "Sierra Ferrell: Long Time Coming". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  9. Trigger (2021-08-20). "Album Review – Sierra Ferrell's "Long Time Coming"". Saving Country Music. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  10. "Sierra Ferrell spans genres in debut album Long Time Coming". Varsity Online. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.