Who is Sierra Ferrell? 5 Facts About the Grammy-Winning Singer
Kendrick Lamar took home five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards; a somewhat less famous artist had a good day on Sunday as well. Indepedent singer/songwriter Sierra Ferrell followed…
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 02: Sierra Ferrell, winner of the Best American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse”, Best Americana Performance for “American Dreaming”, Best American Roots Song for “American Dreaming”, and Best Americana Album for Trail of Flowers, poses in the press room during the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 02, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty ImagesKendrick Lamar took home five awards at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards; a somewhat less famous artist had a good day on Sunday as well. Indepedent singer/songwriter Sierra Ferrell followed closely behind with four. Thanks to her recent Grammy wins, the country/Americana singer is starting to gain the recognition she deserves.
Sierra Ferrell Started with a Troupe of Nomadic Musicians
According to her Opry bio, Sierra Ferrell left West Virginia during her early 20s and joined a group of nomadic musicians. After living in her van, she moved to Nashville and signed up with Rounder Records.
Trail of Flowers Was a Critical Success
Trail of Flowers, her latest album was a critical success. Andrew Sacher of Brooklyn Vegan wrote, “That perfect, enduring mix of a warm, modest, organic exterior, and songwriting that really pops.”
Ferrell also said that the album “ultimately fulfills her longstanding mission of making music that transcends all barriers of time.” She said, “With this record, I wanted to make a fuller sound with bigger drums, but still stay true to the stripped-down feel of old-time music whenever it felt right. I wanted to create something that makes people feel nostalgic for the past, but excited about the future of music.”
She Won All Her Categories
During the 67th Grammy Awards, Sierra Ferrell was nominated in four categories. Best Americana Album for Trail of Flowers, Best American Roots Song and Best Americana Performance for “American Dreaming” and Best American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse.”
Playing at the Grand Ole Opry Was “Phenomenal”
In an interview with Forbes, she said that performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville was a career highlight. “Playing the Opry was pretty phenomenal,” she recalls of that recent experience. “I've never been there, so I didn't really know what to expect. You can feel the magic there. A lot of my idols play[ed] there. And even if I didn't see them, I got to see the names on the walls of all these people who have been there. So it definitely has a lot of juju going on.”
She Died Five Times Because of Drug Abuse
Ferrell opened up about her difficult journey and how she died five times because of substance abuse. She said in an interview, “I remember shooting up, and I was just on the floor… and then I reloaded and did it again. And I was like ‘Oh no,’ and I just fell over. Before I knew it, I was kind of looking through my eyes. And then everything was going at the same time… like time did not exist.
She added, "So I was seeing all these tracers of the future and the past, and the present. And my friend was pacing and crying and shaking me and was like, ‘Wake up, wake up.’” After that happened for the fifth time, she decided to get clean.
To learn more about this Grammy award-winning singer, visit her website here.
