Auralai is the solo project of Stephanie Russell, a Wisconsin-raised cellist with over 20 years of classical training who rebuilt her instrument from the inside out.

 

Rather than accompaniment, Russell's cello becomes the full band — carrying melody, rhythm, and emotional weight while her voice weaves through it. The result is a sound NPR's Tiny Desk described as "at once both rich and sparse": chamber-pop intimacy capable of filling a room.

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Russell has shared stages with Shawn Colvin, Steve Earle, and Grammy-winner Nico Segal. Her EP "in love", released March 2025, marks the most personal chapter of a project she has been reinventing since founding Auralai in 2013. RIYL: Regina Spektor, Andrew Bird, Zoë Keating.

 

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