Sister Nancy, born Ophlin Russell on 2 January 1962 in Kingston, Jamaica, broke ground as the first female dancehall DJ to perform at Reggae Sunsplash and the first to tour internationally. Her 1982 debut album One Two contains 'Bam Bam', described by the BBC as a 'well-known reggae anthem' and sampled over 140 times - making it the most sampled reggae song of all time. After decades without royalties, she fought back her rights, a story told in the documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story (Tribeca Film Festival, 2024). In 2025 she released Armageddon, her first studio album in over twenty years, produced by dub legend Mad Professor.
Sister Nancy released the single 'Muma Dis Come' in January 2026, produced by dancehall legend King Jammy via VP Records.
Her album Armageddon, produced by Mad Professor, was released on 12 September 2025 on the Ariwa label - her first full studio album in more than twenty years.
The documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story had a limited theatrical release in Canada and was available to stream via Crave from 17 February 2025.
The documentary Bam Bam: The Sister Nancy Story had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on 8 June 2024.
Janelle Monáe featured Sister Nancy twice on her Grammy-nominated album The Age of Pleasure: as a featured artist and as a sample.
