Squirrel Flower Explained

Squirrel Flower
Birth Name:Ella O'Connor Williams[1]
Birth Date:11 August 1996
Origin:Boston, Massachusetts
Genre:Indie folk
Instrument:Vocals, guitar, piano, bass
Years Active:2015–present
Label:Polyvinyl Records, 2000 Pigs Records, It Takes Time Records
Associated Acts:alien girls

Squirrel Flower (born August 11, 1996) is the stage name of American musician Ella O'Connor Williams.[2]

Early life

Williams grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts. When Williams was a child, she gave herself the nickname Squirrel Flower.[3] In 2014, she moved to Iowa to attend Grinnell College.[2]

History

After getting involved in the DIY scene in Boston as a teenager, Williams moved to Iowa. There, she wrote her first EP as Squirrel Flower and began setting up small tours for herself. This first EP, titled Early Winter Songs From Middle America, was self-released in 2015.

In 2016, Williams released her second EP titled Contact Sports on a St. Louis-based DIY tape label called It Takes Time.[4]

Williams' debut album, I Was Born Swimming, was released in 2020 via Polyvinyl Records.[5] [6] The album was produced by Gabe Wax. This anticipated label debut earned overwhelming praise from the likes of Gorilla vs. Bear,[7] NPR Music,[8] and Paste,[9] and she was named Rolling Stone Artist You Need To Know,[10] Stereogum's Artist to Watch,[11] The FADER's Gen F,[12] and The Guardian's One to Watch.[13] In May 2020, Squirrel Flower released the single "Take It Or Leave It", backed with her cover of Caroline Polachek's "So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings."[14]

In March 2024, Williams was the first artist to withdraw from the South by Southwest festival due to sponsorships by "defense department contractors [that] make the weapons that the IDF uses to bomb Gaza." Eighty artists followed her lead, causing the festival to terminate their contracts with US Army and RTX Corporation for the 2025 festival.[15] Also in March 2024, she was featured on NPR Tiny Desk for the first time.[16]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ALLEY LIGHT . ASCAP . American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers . November 13, 2023.
  2. Web site: Martoccio . Angie . Squirrel Flower's Tender-Hearted Indie-Rock Breakthrough . February 19, 2020 . . March 3, 2020.
  3. News: Morris . Damien . One to watch: Squirrel Flower . . January 11, 2020 . March 3, 2020.
  4. Web site: Finn . Rachel . Squirrel Flower lays out her emotions on new EP 'Contact Sports' . June 22, 2018 . . March 3, 2020.
  5. Web site: Touros . Cyrena . Squirrel Flower's Debut Finds The Beauty In Transient Things . . March 3, 2020.
  6. Web site: Gerber . Brady . Squirrel Flower: I Was Born Swimming . . March 3, 2020.
  7. Web site: Squirrel Flower – Red Shoulder. GORILLA VS. BEAR. October 25, 2019 .
  8. Web site: Squirrel Flower's Debut Finds The Beauty In Transient Things. NPR.org.
  9. Web site: Catch Squirrel Flower If You Can. January 31, 2020. pastemagazine.com.
  10. Squirrel Flower's Tender-Hearted Indie-Rock Breakthrough. Angie. Martoccio. . February 19, 2020.
  11. Web site: Artist To Watch: Squirrel Flower. January 9, 2020.
  12. Web site: Squirrel Flower finds clarity in solitude. The FADER.
  13. Web site: One to watch: Squirrel Flower. January 11, 2020. The Guardian.
  14. Web site: Squirrel Flower – "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" (Caroline Polachek Cover). May 5, 2020.
  15. News: Horton . Adrian . 2024-06-26 . SXSW ends US Army partnership after backlash from artists over Palestine . 2024-06-27 . . en-GB.
  16. Web site: Tiny Desk Premiere: Squirrel Flower . NPR.

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