About
There’s nothing more rock’n’roll than breaking rules and Sami Grisafe has been doing that her entire life.
The talented singer-songwriter and all-star athlete for women’s football has managed to succeed in two
of her life’s passions, music and sports. It’s been said she’s got the voice of Melissa Etheridge and the
arm of Joe Montana…and if you’ve ever heard Sami Grisafe sing or watched her quarterback, you would
most likely agree.
Sami’s new single, “All-Un-American” is a patriotic anthem that begs the question about who
we want to be as Americans. Inspired by the current presidential election and the tragic events
that threaten to divide us, the lyrics promote the idea that we are “one nation, indivisible,
where nobody shall be invisible.” The song is produced by Colin Wolfe (Michael Jackson, TLC,
Madonna, NWA) and Evan Ryan.
Inspired by musicians like Janis Joplin, Dave Grohl, and the Counting Crows, Grisafe’s music has
a folk-rock feel with provocative lyrics, often incorporating additional styles such as funk, blues
and reggae. She earned six Grammy pre-nominations for her 2012 album ATLANTIS, and in
2013 received the Chicago Music Award for “Best Rock Entertainer.”
As a proud member of the LGBTQ community, Grisafe supports numerous LGBTQ organizations
through her performances. She was named of the ‘10 Chicago Lesbians To Look Out For’ in 2012
by the L Stop and her football retirement was ranked #1 in the Windy City Times Top 10 Chicago
LGBT Sports Moments of 2014. In 2014, she wrote and performed a song, “Brand New Fairy
Tale,” in support of marriage equality for the March on Springfield at the state capitol in Illinois.
She went on to produce a studio version of the song and a music video, releasing it on the day
of the historical Supreme Court ruling. The song features Eric Himan, a national touring, award-
winning singer-songwriter, who spent spring of 2014 opening tours for Leon Russell and then
Ani DiFranco. The song’s message is one that everyone can draw inspiration from: if you don’t
see your dream or story represented, write your own fairy tale.
Grisafe gained national attention for her performance of the National Anthem prior to taking
the field at the 2013 IFAF Women’s World Championship gold medal game. The Huffington Post
called her performance “…one of the most inspiring versions of the Star-Spangled Banner we’ve
ever heard.” The unforgettable rendition is featured in two documentaries and was performed
at the request of Illinois Governor, Pat Quinn, for the marriage equality bill signing.
Sami Grisafe's backstory is incredible. In sports, Sami chartered new territory as the first female
in California to play quarterback in a varsity, Division I football game; was the quarterback for
the Chicago Force Football Team and Team USA, winning the World MVP award at the World
Championship in 2013. Sami was inducted into her High School Hall of Fame in 2014, one of the
first and only female athletes to be inducted into a high school hall of fame for football. A
documentary on her story is currently in development.
Sami lives in both Chicago and Los Angeles. In Chicago, she is the starting Quarterback for the Chicago Force, a member of the 2017 Women's U.S. National Tackle Football Team, and plays music at local Chicago venues. In Los Angeles she is the host and regular feature performer, production coordinator and co-curator of SunSeshLA.
Sami is rehearsing with her band and preparing for the production of her next studio album.