[1] Russell and her father co-wrote the song "Crazy Glue" which Jessica Sanchez, American Idol 2011 contestant, covered on her debut EP.

She expressed that she wanted to be a singer/songwriter at the age of 5 at which time she started taking piano lessons and began to write songs with her father.

After one month on YouTube, her original song "Beautiful" garnered the attention of Rob Fusari, who then signed Russell to a production deal.

Since the age of 11, Russell has worked with producers and writers Babyface, Rob Fusari, Walter Afanasieff, Evan Bogart, Neffu, Smith Carlson, Onree Gill and Howard Benson.

[5] Growing up, Russell was introduced to different genres of music including soul, R&B, pop, rock and jazz standards such as Alicia Keys, The Beatles, Billy Joel, Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, David Bowie, The Eagles, Ella Fitzgerald, Etta James, Frank Sinatra, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Queen, Stevie Wonder, and Whitney Houston.