Neko Richelle Case is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case' contralto voice has been described by contemporaries and critics as a "flamethrower", "a powerhouse seems like it might level buildings," "a 120-mph fastball," and a "vocal tornado". Critics also note her idiosyncratic, "cryptic," "imagistic" lyrics, and credit her as a significant figure in the early 21st-century American revival of the tenor guitar. Case's body of work has spanned and drawn on a range of traditions including country, folk, art rock, indie rock, and pop and is frequently described as defying or avoiding easy generic classification.

Born in Alexandria, Virginia, Case is the only child of James Bamford Case and Diana Mary Dubbs. Case's paternal family surname was originally Shevchenko; her great-aunt was the professional wrestler Ella Waldek. Her father, a Vietnam veteran serving in the United States Air Force, was based in Virginia at the time of her birth. Case's parents, who were teenagers when they had her, are of Ukrainian ancestry. Her parents divorced when Case began school.