Michelle Branch

Michelle Jacquet Branch (born July 2, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Branch was born on July 2, 1983, in Sedona, Arizona, to David and Peggy Branch.

Her father is of partial Irish ancestry, and her mother is of Dutch-Indonesian ("Indo") and French descent.

Her maternal grandmother was held in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

After the war she moved to Holland, where Branch's mother was born.

Her mother was five years old when the family moved from the Netherlands to Arizona.

Her siblings include an older half-brother named David and a younger sister named Nicole.

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.

During the early 2000s, she released two top-selling albums: The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper. She won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals with Santana for their 2002 single, "The Game of Love".

In June 2000, Branch self-produced Broken Bracelet, a compilation of songs she wrote starting from when she was 14; the album was released on the independent record label Twin Dragon Records.

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."

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.

As a solo recording artist, she signed to Madonna's Maverick record label in early 2001, and released her debut album The Spirit Room later that year.

In 2001, Branch signed a recording deal with Maverick Records, where she began working with John Shanks to produce her first album and major-label debut.

The album, The Spirit Room, was released in August 2001, producing the hit single "Everywhere".

In August 2001, she appeared on Total Request Live after "Everywhere" reached No. 4 on the show's chart.

Due to the mainstream success of those released singles, The Spirit Room was certified Double Platinum by the RIAA for selling over two million copies in the United States.

Justincase was signed to Maverick Records in late 2001 with the help of Branch.

The single was a commercial success, winning the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards Viewer's Choice Award.

"Everywhere" was later followed by singles "All You Wanted" and "Goodbye to You".

A self-titled album was released on October 29, 2002, and included several collaborations with Branch, including the lead single, "Don't Cry for Us".

In 2002, Branch teamed up with Santana, alongside songwriters Gregg Alexander and Rick Nowels, to produce the song "The Game of Love", which went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

The album contained the hit singles "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted" and was followed up with Hotel Paper in 2003.

She also earned a Grammy nomination in 2003 for Best New Artist, which was won by Norah Jones.

Branch's second major label album, Hotel Paper, was released in 2003 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over one million copies.

Branch also sang on the song "Deeper" from Hanson's 2004 album Underneath.

VH1 also released a Pop-Up Video for her song "All You Wanted".

The Spirit Room has sold 3 million copies worldwide to date.

In 2005, she formed the country music duo the Wreckers with Jessica Harp, and produced the Grammy-nominated single "Leave the Pieces".

The Wreckers disbanded in 2007 to pursue their respective solo careers.

Since then, she has released extended plays in 2010 and 2011, and a third solo album, Hopeless Romantic in 2017.

Her fourth studio album, The Trouble with Fever, was released in 2022.

The Broken Bracelet recordings were destroyed in the Nashville floods in May 2010.

Beginning to sing at the age of three, Branch enrolled in voice lessons at Northern Arizona University when she was eight, and received her first guitar for her 14th birthday.

After teaching herself chords, she composed her first song "Fallen" within a week of receiving her guitar.

She initially attended Sedona Red Rock High School, but finished the last two years of her high school education through home schooling so that she could focus on her music career.

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

To support Branch's interests, her parents helped her book local gigs in Sedona, and later financed her independent album Broken Bracelet.

Her set list at these gigs included covers of songs by Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb, Jewel, and Fleetwood Mac.