Michelle Branch
(born July 2, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. During the early 2000's, she released two top-selling albums, The Spirit Room
and Hotel Paper
, as well as singles such as "Everywhere," "All You Wanted," "Are You Happy Now?," and the Grammy-winning collaboration with Santana, "The Game of Love." She was nominated in 2003 for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.
Everything Comes and Goes {Michelle Branch album
Following her marriage and subsequent pregnancy in 2004, Branch placed her career on hold. In 2005, she formed the country music duo The Wreckers with friend and fellow musician Jessica Harp, and produced a Grammy-nominated single "Leave the Pieces." Despite that success, the band took a break in 2007 to pursue their solo careers. Her new album Everything Comes and Goes
will explore her acoustic/alternative musical roots as well as country music, and will be released in 2009.
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MICHELLE BRANCH TICKETS
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Biography
1983-2000: Early life and Broken Bracelet
Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch was born on July 2, 1983 in
Sedona Arizona to an
Irish father and a mother of
Dutch Indonesian ancestry. She was named after
the Beatles song
Michelle and her surname is of
French origin. When she was 8 years old she began taking voice lessons from Julie Carrick near St. Mary's School in Flagstaff, AZ. Branch received a guitar for her fourteenth birthday from her uncle and she immediately taught herself chords, and she composed her first song within a few days. During high school, she began writing songs extensively. She initially attended Sedona Red Rock High School but was soon continuing her education through
home schooling. Branch's career began with the release of
Broken Bracelet
, an album released on the
independent record label Twin Dragon Records on June 1, 2000. Its title was inspired by an occurrence at a
Lisa Loeb concert she attended. Before the concert began, musician
Steve Poltz gave her a bracelet made by pop singer
Jewel; he told Michelle that "when it breaks, you'll be famous." A year later the bracelet snapped and she thought nothing of it.
2001-2004: The Spirit Room
and Hotel Paper
Branch soon signed a recording deal with
Maverick Records while opening for
Hanson in December 2000. Her first album for the label
The Spirit Room
was released in August 2001, producing the hit single "
Everywhere," which won the 2003
MTV Video Music Awards Viewer's Choice Award. This was followed by "
All You Wanted" and "
Goodbye to You." Comparisons to other popular singers
Marion Raven,
Avril Lavigne, and
Vanessa Carlton soon followed, all of whom rose to prominence at around the same time.
[1] In 2002, her career as an artist began to blossom when she teamed up with
Santana on the song "
The Game of Love," which went on to win a
Grammy Award for
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. She would then earn a Grammy nomination in 2003 for
Best New Artist, but was edged out by
Norah Jones. Her second album
Hotel Paper
was released in 2003 and was met with mixed reviews. The lead single "
Are You Happy Now?" was a chart success, and was nominated for the
Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, but was 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.
[2] She also appeared in the Rob Schneider film
The Hot Chick
.
2005-2007:The Wreckers
Branch decided to collaborate with her backup singer and longtime friend
Jessica Harp on a new project in July, 2005. They were initially known as the "The Cass County Homewreckers" as a joke by Branch's husband, but they trimmed it down to
The Wreckers. 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. The duo's first single "
Leave the Pieces" was released in February, 2006, while their album
Stand Still, Look Pretty
was released in May. During this period, they contributed to
Santana's album
All That I Am
, with the song "
I'm Feeling You," appeared in the American teen television drama
One Tree Hill
, and joined country music stars
Rascal Flatts and
Gary Allan on a U.S. tour. They initially toured with
Gavin DeGraw. The album did not satisfy some of her fans, who voiced their displeasure on the message boards for The Wreckers' official website, which had to be shut down. Despite the negative backlash, 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 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. As of early August, 2007, Branch and
Jessica Harp announced on the band's official message board that they were putting the band on hold while they moved forward with solo albums. Subsequent press statements have made it clear that The Wreckers, at least as a partnership between Branch and Harp, is no more.
2008-present: Everything Comes and Goes
Immediately thereafter, Branch wrote an unreleased song for
Mandy Moore's 2007 album
Wild Hope
and also wrote "Together" for the soundtrack of
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2
. 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
. In June 2008, she played several live shows in preparation for the album's release with her sister Nicole singing backing vocals. She was also quoted in
Billboard
as saying the album would retain a country flavor. A few song titles discussed were "Long Goodbye," "Texas In The Mirror," "This Way," and the ballad "Crazy Ride." On her web site, Branch put up a 46-second clip of her new single "This Way" and in February 2009 released the full song as a free download for her web site's members. Also in early 2009, she sang the song "I Lose My Heart" in a duet with
Chris Isaak on his new album
Mr. Lucky
. The first single from the album "Sooner Or Later" was released on July 28, 2009. In August 2009 during a live show at
The Grove in Los Angeles, Michelle confirmed the album is to be released in November 2009.
Personal life
Branch married her
bass player Teddy Landau in
Mexico on May 23, 2004, and gave birth to a baby girl named Owen Isabelle on August 3, 2005. Her other relatives include an older half-brother named David, a younger sister named Nicole, a maternal grandmother, who was held by the Japanese in an
internment camp during
World War II, and a maternal grandfather, who was French and Indonesian.
[3] During 2007, she sold her
Calabasas home, and in January 2008 moved to
Nashville.
[4] [5] On June 15, 2008, Branch announced on her official message board that she will be fulfilling a lifelong dream by opening a
bakery in
Nashville called "The Sugar Bar" with
pastry chef Rebekka Seale.
[6] Unfortunately, the plan was postponed so that she could focus on her music career.
Musical style
Branch owns at least fourteen guitars, but mainly uses a
Gibson Hummingbird after retiring her blue
Taylor 614ce. In addition to the guitar, she also plays other instruments such as the piano,
drums, and
mandolin. She states that her music has been influenced by
The Beatles,
Led Zeppelin,
Queen,
Aerosmith,
Patsy Cline,
Cat Stevens,
Stevie Nicks, and
Joni Mitchell, but also enjoys listening to more contemporary artists such as
Incubus,
Soundgarden,
Nirvana,
Stone Temple Pilots,
Metallica,
Silverchair,
Madonna,
Lisa Loeb,
Sheryl Crow, and
Patty Griffin. Her other interests include
classical music and older
country music.
[7] [8] [9]
Discography
Studio albums
Year
| Album
| Chart positions
| Certifications [10]
|
US
| CAN
| UK
| NZ
| AUS
|
2000
| Broken Bracelet
- Released: June 1, 2000
- Label: Twin Dragon
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
|
2001
| The Spirit Room
- Released: August 14, 2001
- Label: Maverick
| 28
| —
| 54
| —
| 25
|
|
2003
| Hotel Paper
- Released: June 24, 2003
- Label: Maverick
| 2
| 4
| 35
| 4
| 18
|
|
2009
| Everything Comes and Goes
- Released: November 2009
- Label: Warner Bros. Nashville
| To be released
|
"—" denotes the album failed to chart, or wasn't released
|
Singles
Year
| Single
| Peak chart positions [11]
| Album
|
US
| US AC
| US Country
| UK [12]
| AUS
|
2001
| "Everywhere"
| 12
| —
| —
| 18
| 19
| The Spirit Room
|
2002
| "All You Wanted"
| 6
| 30
| —
| 33
| 25
|
"Goodbye to You"
| 21
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2003
| "Are You Happy Now?"
| 16
| —
| —
| 31
| 33
| Hotel Paper
|
"Breathe"
| 36
| 27
| —
| —
| 46
|
2004
| "Till I Get Over You"
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|
2009
| "Sooner or Later"A
| 93
|
| 59
|
|
| Everything Comes and Goes
|
As a featured artist
|
2002
| "The Game of Love" with Santana
| 5
| 1
| —
| 16
| 21
| Shaman
|
2005
| "I'm Feeling You" (as Michelle Branch & The Wreckers) with SantanaB
| 55
| 5
| —
| —
| —
| All That I Am
|
"—" denotes the single failed to chart, or wasn't released
|
- A Current single.
- B "I'm Feeling You" also peaked at #56 on the U.S. Billboard
Pop 100.
Miscellaneous
Year
| Song
| Album
|
2009
| "I Lose My Heart" duet with Chris Isaak
| Mr. Lucky
|
Music videos
Year
| Title
| Director(s)
|
2001
| "Everywhere"
| Liz Friedlander
|
2002
| "All You Wanted"
| Liz Friedlander
|
"Goodbye to You"
| Francis Lawrence
|
"The Game of Love" (with Santana)
| Paul Fedor
|
2003
| "Are You Happy Now?"
| Meiert Avis
|
"Breathe"
| Marc Klasfeld
|
2005
| "I'm Feeling You" (with Santana & The Wreckers)
|
2009
| "This Way"
| Raphael Mazucco [13]
|
2009
| "Sooner or Later"
| Liz Friedlander
|
Filmography
(acting roles only)
Year
| Film / Show
| Role
| Episode
|
2001
| Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV series)
| Herself / Musical Guest
| Tabula Rasa
|
2002
| American Dreams
| Leslie Gore
| The End of the Innocence
|
2002
| The Hot Chick
| DJ
|
|
2003
| Charmed
| Herself / Musical Guest
| Centennial Charmed
|
2005
| One Tree Hill
| Herself / Musical Guest
| The Hero Dies In This One
|
Awards
Year
| Organization
| Award [14]
| Result
|
2002
| MTV Video Music Awards
| Best Female Video ("All You Wanted")
| Nominated
|
Best Pop Video ("All You Wanted")
|
Viewer's Choice ("Everywhere")
| '''Won
|
2003
| Grammy Awards
| Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals —("The Game of Love" with Santana)
|
Best New Artist
| Nominated
|
2004
| Best Female Rock Vocal Performance — ("Are You Happy Now?")
|
2006
| Country Music Association
| Vocal Duo of the Year (as The Wreckers)
|
2007
| Grammy Awards
| Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal — ("Leave the Pieces" as The Wreckers)
|
Music Row Awards
| Major Label Breakout Artist of the Year (as The Wreckers)
| Won
|
R&R Readers' Poll
| Best New Performer (as The Wreckers)
|
References
- http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1002775,00.html
- http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/stars%20team%20up%20for%20new%20prank%20show "Contactmusic.com" Retrieved on 04-13-07
- A Conversation with Michelle Branch
- Singer, songwriter and guitarist Michelle Branch sells her five-bedroom, {{convert
- Headline homes: Nashville's top 10 sales, January 2008
- The Sugar Bar
- [1] ''Rolling Stone magazine, 6/17/03'' Retrieved on 02-24-08
- SingerUniverse Magazine - The Wreckers article
- CMT.com : Marty Robbins : The Wreckers Won't Stand Still
- "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2002 Albums". ''Australian Recording Industry Association''. Retrieved February 8 2007.
- Michelle Branch discography. ''Billboard''. Retrieved December 15 2007.
- British Hit Singles & Albums
- [1]
- Awards and nominations of Michelle Branch