Mercy Bell was raised in California and New England, and lived in New York City, and Arkansas before finally settling in Nashville. Her sound is deeply influenced by traditional roots music, folk and country western songs of the 1960s-70s, and songwriters of the 1990s. As an openly queer Filipino-American woman who has lived all over the United States and grapples with the hard truths of life, Bell offers a fresh and dynamic approach to folk music.