Michelle Branch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michelle Branch
Branch performing in 2010
Born	Michelle Jacquet Branch (1983-07-02) July 2, 1983 (age 41) Sedona, Arizona, U.S.
Other names	Michelle Carney
Occupation	Singer musician songwriter actress
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Teddy Landau ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2015)​ Patrick Carney ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	3
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Pop rock rock country
Instruments	Vocals guitar piano harmonica
Labels	Maverick Warner Bros. Reprise Reprise Nashville Verve

Michelle Jacquet Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She became famous in the early 2000s with her hit albums The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for her song "The Game of Love" with Santana in 2002.

As a solo artist, Michelle signed with Madonna's Maverick record label in 2001. Her first album, The Spirit Room, came out that year. It featured popular songs like "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted". Her next album, Hotel Paper, followed in 2003.

In 2005, she formed a country music duo called The Wreckers with her friend Jessica Harp. They released the Grammy-nominated song "Leave the Pieces". The Wreckers later split up in 2007. Since then, Michelle has released more music, including her fourth solo album, Hopeless Romantic in 2017. Her latest album, The Trouble with Fever, was released in 2022.

Early life and musical start

Michelle Branch was born on July 2, 1983, in Sedona, Arizona. Her parents are David and Peggy Branch. Her dad has some Irish family history. Her mom has Dutch-Indonesian and French roots. Michelle's grandmother was in a Japanese internment camp during World War II. After the war, she moved to Holland, where Michelle's mom was born.

Michelle started singing when she was only three years old. At eight, she took voice lessons at Northern Arizona University. For her 14th birthday, she received her first guitar. She taught herself how to play chords and wrote her first song, "Fallen," within a week! She went to Sedona Red Rock High School at first. However, she finished her last two years of high school through home schooling. This allowed her to focus more on her music career.

Michelle has a port-wine stain birthmark under her right eye.

Music career highlights

Early recordings: Broken Bracelet

Michelle's parents helped her get local performances in Sedona. They also helped her pay for her first independent album, Broken Bracelet. At her early shows, she sang songs by artists like Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and Fleetwood Mac.

In December 1999, she put two of her songs on the Rolling Stone website. This caught the eye of the band Hanson and a record producer named Jeff Rabhan. This led to Michelle opening for Hanson at two concerts in 2000.

In June 2000, Michelle released Broken Bracelet. This album was a collection of songs she wrote since she was 14. The album's name came from a bracelet given to her by musician Steve Poltz. He told her, "when it breaks, you'll be famous."

Breakthrough albums: The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper

Branch performing in October 2003.

In 2001, Michelle signed a record deal with Maverick Records. She worked with producer John Shanks on her first major album, The Spirit Room. This album came out in August 2001. It included the very popular song "Everywhere". This song won the Viewer's Choice Award at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.

After "Everywhere," she released other singles like "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to You". The Spirit Room sold over two million copies in the United States. Michelle also sang on the song "Deeper" from Hanson's 2004 album Underneath.

In 2002, Michelle worked with Santana on the song "The Game of Love". This song won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Michelle was also nominated for Best New Artist in 2003.

Her second major album, Hotel Paper, was released in 2003. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and sold over one million copies. The first song from the album, "Are You Happy Now?", was a big hit. Michelle was nominated for a Grammy for this song. She also appeared on TV shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, American Dreams, and Charmed.

The Wreckers: A country duo

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

In July 2005, Michelle started working with her friend and backup singer Jessica Harp. They formed a duo called The Wreckers. Their goal was to mix their styles of pop rock and country. Their first song, "Leave the Pieces", came out in February 2006. Their album, Stand Still, Look Pretty, was released in May.

The Wreckers also sang on Santana's album All That I Am. They appeared on the TV show One Tree Hill and toured with country stars Rascal Flatts. The group was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006 for "Leave the Pieces". Stand Still, Look Pretty sold over 851,000 copies. The Wreckers decided to go their separate ways in 2007.

After The Wreckers, Michelle moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Solo music: Hopeless Romantic and The Trouble with Fever

Branch performing in August 2009.

After The Wreckers, Michelle continued to write songs. She wrote "Together" for the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. In October 2007, she announced she was working on a new solo album. In early 2009, she sang a duet with Chris Isaak called "I Lose My Heart."

In 2010, Michelle released a six-song collection called Everything Comes and Goes. She also worked with producer Timbaland on a song called "Getaway." In 2011, she released a new single, "Loud Music". She performed "God Bless America" at the MLB All-Star Game in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2011.

Branch performs at Slim's in San Francisco, July 21, 2017.

In 2013, Michelle started recording a new album in London. She later recorded more of the album in Nashville. In October 2014, she recorded a cover of Radiohead's "Creep". This song was used in an episode of the TV series Stalker.

In July 2015, Michelle announced she had signed with Verve Records. Her new album, Hopeless Romantic, was released on April 7, 2017. Michelle later left Verve Records in September 2017. She also performed a cover of "A Horse with No Name" with Patrick Carney for the TV show BoJack Horseman.

In January 2021, Michelle announced she would be re-recording her album The Spirit Room to celebrate its 20th anniversary. This re-recorded album was released on October 15, 2021. On July 12, 2022, she announced her new song "I'm a Man". This song is on her fifth studio album, The Trouble with Fever, which came out on September 16, 2022.

Musical style and influences

Michelle Branch says her music is inspired by many artists. These include The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Aerosmith, Lisa Loeb, Joni Mitchell, Queen, Alanis Morissette, Dolores O'Riordan, Jewel, Fleetwood Mac, and Cat Stevens. She also enjoys classical music and older country music. Michelle often plays a Gibson Hummingbird guitar.

Personal life

Michelle Branch married her bass player Teddy Landau in Mexico on May 23, 2004. They had a child in August 2005. Michelle and Teddy separated in 2014, and their divorce was finalized in November 2015.

In 2015, Michelle met Patrick Carney from the band The Black Keys at a Grammy party. They started dating while working on her album Hopeless Romantic. In 2017, Michelle and her child moved into Patrick's home in Nashville. Michelle and Patrick had a son in August 2018. They got married on April 20, 2019. In February 2022, Michelle gave birth to a daughter, her third child and second with Patrick.

Discography

Studio albums

• Broken Bracelet (2000)
• The Spirit Room (2001)
• Hotel Paper (2003)
• Hopeless Romantic (2017)
• The Trouble with Fever (2022)

Filmography

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are big awards given each year for music. Michelle Branch has won one Grammy from four nominations.

MTV Asia Awards

The MTV Asia Awards started in 2002. Michelle Branch received one nomination.

MTV Video Music Awards

The MTV Video Music Awards celebrate the best music videos. Michelle Branch received three nominations.

Teen Choice Awards

The Teen Choice Awards is an annual show by Fox. Michelle Branch received four nominations.

Other awards

See also

In Spanish: Michelle Branch para niños