She calls the nominations a "reassurance of being on the right path"
Sierra Hull's career is currently blowing up. At least, that's what people keep telling her.
"When I think for a minute about all the things that I've gotten to be a part of over the last nine months or so since the record came out, it's like, 'Whoa,'" Hull, 34, tells PEOPLE from her tour bus while out on a recent tour with Béla Fleck & The Flecktones. "We've been a lot of places, and we've done a lot of stuff this year, but when you're in the midst of it all, it's like looking in the mirror every day. You don't realize that things are changing, or things are growing in a way, if that makes sense."
But there are those quiet moments between shows and tour stops where Hull says she tries her best to really take in all that is happening to her -- including the four Grammy nominations stemming from the success of her independent album A Tip Toe High Wire.
"I'm still in shock," the East Tennessee-bred singer/songwriter and award-winning mandolinist admits with a laugh. "I thought there was a chance we could get one nomination, but I had already prepared myself emotionally that if that didn't happen, it didn't mean that we didn't have a good year or put out a good record."
Certainly, this was a record that felt a little different and meant a little more to Hull and her band of music-playing brothers, as it was this record that Hull released back in March as a completely independent artist. Longtime fans of the bluegrass virtuoso might remember that Hull was just 13 years old when she signed to Rounder Records (she eventually cut ties with the label in 2020).
And while this year has come with virtually nonstop accomplishments including the four nominations -- for Best Bluegrass Album for A Tip Toe High Wire, Best American Roots Song for "Spitfire," Best Americana Performance for "Boom" and Best Instrumental Composition for "Lord, That's a Long Way" -- Hull says she is trying her best to keep her boots planted firmly on the ground.
"I'll be honest, I don't expect to win anything," says the six-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Mandolin Player of the Year of her chances at the upcoming Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 1 in Los Angeles. "Just to be nominated for this many awards, though, is a reassurance of being on the right path."
The multiple nominations also have given Hull a renewed sense of confidence as she begins to ponder putting out new music in 2026.
"I think the beauty of being an artist is that you can know who you are, but yet still remain open, as we do as people, to change," says Hull, who recently made a trip to California to record with country rock/Americana hitmakers Turnpike Troubadours. "I do feel very grounded in who I am as a human, but at the same time, I'm still trying to really remain open to whatever kind of musical inspiration comes my way."
Granted, Hull admits she is looking forward to a little bit of downtime with husband and fellow award-winning multi-instrumentalist Justin Moses before the new year begins.
"He is the best partner to me," says Hull. "I'm not going to lie -- there are times it sucks being away from each other. I miss him and I know he misses me. There's only so much that FaceTime gives you when you're a thousand miles from each other, but this is the life we've always known."
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