Allison Pierce first came to attention through her partnership in the alternative folk-rock duo the Pierces alongside her sister Catherine, although she later carved out a separate lane as a solo performer of country-tinged singer/songwriter material. The sisters achieved their widest recognition with the 2007 song “Secret,” which served as the theme for the teen mystery series Pretty Little Liars between 2010 and 2017.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama, Allison and Catherine Pierce received home schooling and early artistic encouragement from their musician father and painter mother. They rapidly acquired guitar skills and vocal harmony techniques while also training as accomplished ballerinas, only to abandon dance by 1995 in favor of studies at Auburn University and a shared focus on music. Sony expressed interest in their sound, prompting the sisters to relocate to Nashville for the recording of their self-titled debut album. Released in 2000, The Pierces presented a polished fusion of folk harmonizing and adult alternative textures, yet the project quickly faded from view owing to insufficient label promotion. After settling in New York City, the Pierces sustained themselves with day jobs, persisted in songwriting, and delivered acoustic performances at local clubs and residences until their efforts secured a new contract with Universal Music Group. That arrangement yielded the 2005 album Light of the Moon, followed in 2007 by Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge; the duo also contributed a cameo appearance to the All-American Rejects’ third album, When the World Comes Down, issued in late 2008.
On June 8, 2010, the series Pretty Little Liars debuted on ABC Family, later rebranded as Freeform, adopting the Pierces’ track “Secret” from Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge as its theme. The program proved successful and continued for seven seasons before concluding in the summer of 2017. Throughout that period the sisters issued the 2011 release You & I, produced by the Darktones, and their fifth studio album, 2014’s Creation.
In 2015 the duo declared a hiatus to explore individual endeavors. Two years afterward Allison Pierce issued her solo debut, Year of the Rabbit, on Sony Masterworks. Ethan Johns produced the set, which favored a more relaxed alt-country approach.
