Born in New Orleans, Pell was uprooted to Starkville, Mississippi by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 at the age of 15. Like many others in NOLA, Katrina decimated the neighborhood where Pell and his family lived, and as a result they were forced to relocate. "All I was able to take with me from New Orleans was the musical culture I grew up in, not my possessions, only memories and life lessons." "Creating a new life from scratch teaches you resilience," adds Pell.