But Merritt’s Southern roots extend even deeper. Born to a family with ties to Smyrna, Texas, she carried with her a sense of wanderlust and a love for storytelling, both of which would later define her music. In Raleigh, she grew up listening to a broad mix of sounds—from the folk harmonies her father taught her to the rebellious pulse of punk and indie rock she gravitated toward in her teenage years. Despite this eclectic musical palette, it was roots music that captured her heart after she first heard Emmylou Harris’ Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town