The Barman's Daughter

Named in BILLBOARD’S “Top 50 Albums Of The Year So Far” (June 2024)

“The fairy godmother of trans country artists, Virago writes and performs a potent mix of folk, alt-country, and punk that grew out of the crucible of eighties LA.

Her music is easily on par with the great country lyricists – Guy Clarke, Townes Van Zandt and Lucinda Williams.” – RAINBOW RODEO

“The lives of her community—desperate and imperiled, loved and loving—is what Blood in Her Dreams is about and, her album’s thrilling sonic virtues aside, Virago’s specialty is her storytelling, at once LGBTQ+ specific and always universal.” – NO FENCES REVIEW

“When you think of traditional, ‘folk singers,’ transgender singer/song-writer Shawna Virago may not come to mind, but she should. She’s the definition of ‘folk music,’ which is not just an expressive body of work, it’s a cultural movement, it’s not just lyrics, it’s a beautiful poetic story authored over a melodic soundtrack.” – NO DEPRESSION

Shawna Virago is one of America’s first openly transgender women to tour nationally, performing as her true self since the early nineties. She is a pioneer in the pre-millennial punk scene and is celebrated for her firebrand fusion of punk and country and her striking lyrics.

Virago's narrative is one of courage and creativity, of facing a world often hostile to trans identities with unwavering strength and an unyielding commitment to her craft. Her music, while deeply personal, speaks to broader themes of resistance, empowerment, and the ongoing fight for visibility and rights within the trans community.

Virago is a published writer and her work appears in Gender Outlaws: Next Generation, Trans/Love, Take Me There, and Transnational Queer Underground. She is the Artistic Director of the San Francisco Transgender Film Festival and her music videos have screened at more than 50 film festivals in over 15 countries around the world.