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Michelle Branch

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Michelle Branch

Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch Landau (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper, and was subsequently nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2003. In 2005, she formed the country music duo The Wreckers with friend and fellow musician Jessica Harp, and produced the Grammy-nominated single "Leave the Pieces." However, The Wreckers disbanded in 2007 to pursue their respective solo careers. Branch has been working on her first solo country album, entitled Different Kind of Country, which is expected for release in December 2010.[1] Her most notable achievement is the Grammy-winning song "The Game of Love," in collaboration with Santana.

Life and career

1983–2000: Early life & Broken Bracelet

Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch was born on July 2, 1983, in Sedona, Arizona,[2][3] to David and Peggy Branch.[4] Her father is of Irish descent, and her mother is of Dutch Indonesian and French descent.[4][5] Her siblings include an older half-brother named David and a younger sister named Nicole.

Beginning to sing at the age of three, Branch enrolled in voice lessons at Northern Arizona University when she was eight,[4][6][7] and received her first guitar for her fourteenth birthday.[2][3][7] After teaching herself chords, she composed her first song "Fallen" within a week of receiving her guitar.[8] She initially attended Sedona Red Rock High School,[6] but finished the last two years of her high school education through home schooling so that she could focus on her music career.[7] To support Branch's interests, her parents helped her book local gigs in Sedona, AZ, and later financed her independent album Broken Bracelet.[7] Her set list at these gigs included covers by Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and Fleetwood Mac.[8]

In June 1998, Branch self-produced Broken Bracelet,[4] a compilation of songs she wrote when she was 14 and 15;[5] the album was later released on the independent record label Twin Dragon Records in June 2000.[4][5] Its title was inspired from a bracelet made by pop singer Jewel, given to Branch by musician Steve Poltz at a Lisa Loeb concert she attended. Poltz told Branch that "when it breaks, you'll be famous."[4] The Broken Bracelet recordings were destroyed in the Nashville floods in May of 2010.[9]

In December 1999, she posted two of her songs on the Rolling Stone website, which caught the attention of both pop rock band Hanson and former Rolling Stone writer and Los Angeles record producer Jeff Rabhan, eventually leading to two gigs opening for Hanson in 2000.[4]

2001–04: The Spirit Room & Hotel Paper

In 2001, Branch signed a recording deal with Maverick Records,[4][5][7] where she began working with John Shanks to produce her first album and major-label debut.[10] The album, The Spirit Room, was released in August 2001,[5][10] producing the hit single "Everywhere." The single was a commercial success, winning the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards Viewer's Choice Award.[11] "Everywhere" was later followed by singles "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to You." In August 2001, she appeared on Total Request Live after "Everywhere" reached No. 4 on their charts. By 2003, The Spirit Room had sold over 2 million copies.[12]

Branch met Justincase before her debut on Maverick Records, becoming friends over the Internet before meeting in Las Vegas for a music convention in 2000.[13] Justincase was signed to Maverick Records in late 2001 with the help of Branch.[14][15][16] A self-titled debut album on October 29, 2002 which included several collaborations with Michelle Branch — including the lead single, "Don't Cry for Us" — who promoted the album on MTV's Total Request Live.[17] In 2002, she teamed up with Santana to produce the song "The Game of Love,"[3][5][12] which went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[2][11] She also earned a Grammy nomination in 2003 for Best New Artist,[11] but was edged out by Norah Jones.

Her second album Hotel Paper was released in 2003, and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 charts.[18] However, the album was met with mixed reviews. The lead single "Are You Happy Now?" was a chart success, earning her a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance,[11] though she was ultimately edged out by Pink's "Trouble." The following singles, however, "Breathe" and "'Til I Get over You," did not match the first single's success. Branching out into television, she appeared in several shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Dreams, and Charmed. In June 2004, she hosted MTV's "Faking the Video" alongside Nick Lachey and JC Chasez. She also appeared in the Rob Schneider film The Hot Chick. Branch married her bass player Teddy Landau in Mexico on May 23, 2004,[2][19][20] and gave birth to a baby girl named Owen Isabelle on August 3, 2005.[21] Prior to meeting her husband she dated guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme of Lifehouse and The Calling.[7]

2005–07: The Wreckers

Michelle Branch (center) during a June 2007 concert with Jessica Harp (right) as The Wreckers.

In July 2005, Branch began collaborating with her backup singer and longtime friend Jessica Harp.[3][20][22][23] They were initially known as "The Cass County Homewreckers" as a joke by Branch's husband,[24] but they trimmed it down to The Wreckers.[20] Their album attempted to combine their respective genres—pop rock and country. It was originally slated for release in June 2005 but was delayed because of reasons surrounding Branch's pregnancy.[3] The duo's first single "Leave the Pieces" was released in February, 2006, while their album Stand Still, Look Pretty was released in May.[20]

During this period, they contributed to Santana's album All That I Am, with the song "I'm Feeling You,"[20] appearing on the American teen television drama One Tree Hill,[3] and joined country music stars Rascal Flatts on a U.S. tour.[22][23] They initially toured with Gavin DeGraw and Bethany Joy Galeotti which was also written into the show during the second season.[20] The group was nominated for the 2006 CMA Awards Vocal Duo of the Year and for a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal[2][11] for the song "Leave the Pieces" in December, 2006. Stand Still, Look Pretty was certified Gold by the RIAA with sales of 851,000 copies as of March 2009. The Wreckers split in 2007.[2]

Branch sold her Calabasas home and moved to Nashville.[25][26]

2008–present: Different Kind of Country

Immediately thereafter, Branch wrote an unreleased song for Mandy Moore's 2007 album Wild Hope,[27] and also wrote "Together" for the soundtrack of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; it was also featured as the final song ever played on the CBS TV soap opera, Guiding Light. In October 2007, she announced that she was working on a new solo album and later reported the title would be Everything Comes and Goes.[2] In June 2008, she played several live shows in preparation for the album's release with her sister Nicole singing backing vocals.

In early 2009, she sang the song "I Lose My Heart" in a duet with Chris Isaak on his new album Mr. Lucky.[28] A video was released for a The first single from the album "Sooner Or Later" was released on July 28, 2009. Also in 2009, she recorded "A Case of You" (originally by Joni Mitchell) for the compilation Covered, A Revolution in Sound which commemorated Warner Bros. Records 50th anniversary.[29] A video was made for the song "This Way" and uploaded to Branch's official YouTube account in October 2009,[30] but it was not released as a single and did not chart. (The video was included on a limited edition DVD entitled The Video Anthology available on michellebranch.com.)[31] Everything Comes and Goes was finally released as a 6-track EP on July 16, 2010 via Michelle's website and will be available on iTunes one month later, with a full album called Different Kind of Country to follow later in the year.[32] In 2010, Branch and R&B/hip-hop producer Timbaland collaborated on a pop/R&B song entitled "Getaway" and released a video. It is unclear if this song will be on an album by either artist.

Musical style and influence

She states that her music has been influenced by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Lisa Loeb, Joni Mitchell, Queen, Alanis Morissette, Jewel, Fleetwood Mac and Cat Stevens.[4][33][34] classical music and older country music.[12][23] Branch mainly uses a Gibson Hummingbird after retiring her blue Taylor 614ce.[35][36]

Discography

Main article: Michelle Branch discography
Further information: The Wreckers § Discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Year Film / Show Role Episode
2002 American Dreams Lesley Gore The End of the Innocence
The Hot Chick DJ

Awards

Year Organization Award[11] Result
2002 MTV Video Music Awards Best Female Video ("All You Wanted") Nominated
Best Pop Video ("All You Wanted") Nominated
Viewer's Choice ("Everywhere") Won
2003 Grammy Awards Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals —("The Game of Love" with Santana) Won
Best New Artist Nominated
2004 Best Female Rock Vocal Performance — ("Are You Happy Now?") Nominated
2006 Country Music Association Vocal Duo of the Year (as The Wreckers) Nominated
2007 Grammy Awards Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — ("Leave the Pieces" as The Wreckers) Nominated
Music Row Awards Major Label Breakout Artist of the Year (as The Wreckers) Won
R&R Readers' Poll Best New Performer (as The Wreckers) Won

References

  1. ^ Tara Hall (2009-06-28), Michelle Branch reveals 'Everything Comes and Goes', retrieved 03-16-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "web" ignored (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Official bio, retrieved December 2, 2009
  3. ^ a b c d e f Remz, Jeffrey (November 2006), The Wreckers clean up, Country Standard Time, retrieved December 2, 2009
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fried, Paul. "Michelle Branch". Red Rock Review.com. Retrieved December 2, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Mike Kai (November 25, 2003). "A Conversation with Michelle Branch". asianconnections.com.
  6. ^ a b Music Review: The Spirit Room, Michelle Branch {{citation}}: Text "web" ignored (help)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Melissa Worden (September 14, 2001). "Breakout: Michelle Branch". usatoday.com.
  8. ^ a b Prato, Alison (April 2010), "Homeward Bound", Inked Magazine, pp. 59–62 {{citation}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  9. ^ Tim Nudd (05-05-2010), Nashville Floods Claim Grand Ole Opry, CNN, retrieved 05-06-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help); Text "web" ignored (help) [dead link]
  10. ^ a b "Billboard Biography: Michelle Branch". Billboard. Retrieved 03-16-2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e f Awards and nominations of Michelle Branch
  12. ^ a b c Rollingstone.com Rolling Stone magazine, 6/17/03 Retrieved on 02-24-08
  13. ^ Singer, Kristi (October 25, 2002). "Three siblings ready to rock", The Star-News, p. 12.
  14. ^ McCartney, Kelly. "Justincase: Review", Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-07-29.
  15. ^ (November 26, 2002). "Early family lifestyle influences rock band: Although the teen group justincase can cite many musical influences on their career, one of the strongest is from their tight family and the music they heard at home", Charlottetown Guardian, p. C6.
  16. ^ Campbell, Chuck (November 15, 2002). "justincase: justincase", Knoxville News Sentinel, p. 18.
  17. ^ Menconi, David (March 1, 2003). "North Carolina boasts a host of artists, labels and studios that have gained national attention and hope to attract more", Billboard 115 (9): 17–18.
  18. ^ "Billboard Chart History: Hotel Paper". Billboard. Retrieved 03-16-2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ Susman, Gary (July 1, 2004), Game of Love, Entertainment Weekly, retrieved December 2, 2009
  20. ^ a b c d e f Tecson, Brandee (March 14, 2005), Michelle Branch No Longer Wrecking Homes, MTV Network
  21. ^ "Michelle Branch Has a Baby Girl", People, Time Inc., August 3, 2005, retrieved December 2, 2009
  22. ^ a b Finan, Eileen (June 12, 2006), "The Wreckers Michelle Branch & Jessica Harp", People, Time Inc., retrieved December 2, 2009
  23. ^ a b c CMT.com: Marty Robbins: The Wreckers Won't Stand Still {{citation}}: Text "web" ignored (help)
  24. ^ Print Email This (April 30, 2009). "Band Name Stories: The Wreckers". The Boot. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  25. ^ "Singer, songwriter and guitarist Michelle Branch sells her five-bedroom, 5,296-square-foot (492.0 m2) house in Calabasas, CA for $2.94M; now lives in Nashville, TN". Big Time Listings. November 7, 2007. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
  26. ^ Wood, E. Thomas (February 5, 2008). "Headline homes: Nashville's top 10 sales, January 2008". NashvillePost.com accessdate=February 5, 2008. {{cite news}}: Missing pipe in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Orzeck, Kur (2007-06-19), White Stripes Look To Crush Mandy Moore's Wild Hope, In New Releases, retrieved 03-16-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "web" ignored (help)
  28. ^ "Chris Isaak's New Album Features Michelle Branch, Trisha Yearwood", CMT, MTV Networks, February 23, 2009
  29. ^ Up for Discussion Jump to Forums (September 14, 2009). "Warner Acts Go Covers Crazy For Compilation". Billboard.com. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  30. ^ “”. "Michelle Branch - "This Way" Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved August 31, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ The Video Anthology Limited Edition DVD, retrieved 08-06-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  32. ^ a b Millegan, Lisa (July 2, 2010). "Singer-songwriter Michelle Branch has spread her musical wings to country - Life". Modbee.com. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  33. ^ "Breakout: Michelle Branch". Usatoday.Com. September 13, 2001. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  34. ^ "Michelle Branch - Videos, song clips, and pictures". Kids.yahoo.com. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  35. ^ Michelle Branch throws Gibson Hummingbird to the waves in new video "Breathe", retrieved 03-16-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "web" ignored (help)
  36. ^ Soundings: Random Signals from the Taylor Guitars Universe (PDF), retrieved 03-16-2010 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Text "web" ignored (help)
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