• Michelle Branch Embarks on Solo Country Career

  ShoppingBlog.com - Found Oct. 4, 2009 Michelle Branch has a new country song out called "Sooner Or Later." It's not the singer-songwriter's first move into country.

• Michelle Branch

  Seventeen.com - Found Oct. 14, 2009 ... michelle branch, when I was 17, female celebrity, idol What rumors were people spreading about you then? Now?

• Michelle Branch Pushes Back Album Release Date

  CJFW - Found Oct. 20, 2009 The new Michelle Branch album is no longer scheduled come out on November 10th. Company-wide layoffs at her Warner Brothers record label have pushed

• Michelle Branch Pushes Back Album Release Date

  Bear Rocks - Found Oct. 20, 2009 The new Michelle Branch album is no longer scheduled come out on November 10th. Company-wide layoffs at her Warner Brothers record label have pushed

• Michelle Branch Pushes Back Album Release Date

  FM KX96 Online - Found Oct. 19, 2009 The new Michelle Branch album is no longer scheduled come out on November 10th. Company-wide layoffs at her Warner Brothers record label have pushed

• Michelle Branch - Everything Comes and Goes (new album / stream) ...

  PopMatters: The Magazine of Global Culture - Found Sep. 2, 2009 Michelle Branch Everything Comes and Goes (Warner Bros.) Releasing: 10 November When I think of Michelle Branch's forthcoming country album,

• Michelle Branch Wows Fans, Twitter Nation on Webcast

  Associated Content - Found Sep. 22, 2009 Goes', Due Nov. 10, Branch Plays to Fans and Climbs Up the Twitter Charts Ari Berenstein On Monday night, singer-songwriter Michelle Branch...

• Live Concert by Michelle Branch and Matt Nathanson to Headline ...

  Houston Chronicle - Found Aug. 23, 2009 ��Everything Comes And Goes” by Michelle Branch 2009’s Everything Comes And Goes �' Grammy-winner Michelle Branch’s...

• Live Concert by Michelle Branch and Matt Nathanson to Headline ...

  Reuters - Found Aug. 21, 2009 ... up Another day.' - 'Everything Comes And Goes' by Michelle Branch 2009's Everything Comes And Goes - Grammy-winner Michelle Branch's first...

• Live Concert by Michelle Branch and Matt Nathanson to Headline ...

  Earthtimes.org - Found Aug. 21, 2009 Branch Everything comes and goesIm always the last to knowI can see the sun come upAnother day. - Everything Comes And Goes by Michelle Branch...

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Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch performing in Toronto, October 2003.
Background information
Birth name	Michelle Jacquet DeSevren Branch
Born	July 2, 1983 (1983-07-02) (age 26)
Origin	Sedona, Arizona, United States
Genres	Alternative, pop rock, acoustic, country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, performer, actress, TV host
Instruments	Vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, keyboards, percussions, piano, accordion, cello, harmonica, mandolin
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Maverick, Warner Bros. Nashville
Associated acts	Santana, Jessica Harp, The Wreckers, Chris Isaak, Sheryl Crow, Dave Navarro, Jennifer Hanson
Website	MichelleBranch.com
Notable instruments
Taylor 614ce Gibson Hummingbird

Michelle Branch (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, as well as singles such as "Everywhere," "All You Wanted," "Goodbye To You," "Are You Happy Now?," "Breathe" and the Grammy-winning collaboration with Santana, "The Game of Love." She was nominated in 2003 for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. 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 most likely be released in 2010.

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. She went to grade school at St. Mary's Catholic School (now called San Francisco de Asis School) in Flagstaff Arizona where her passion for music was sparked by Sr. Yolanda at the Friday school masses at Nativity Church. 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

Michelle Branch (center) during a June 2007 concert with Jessica Harp (right) as 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^{citation needed} and also wrote "Together" for the soundtrack of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 ("Together" 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. 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. According to Michelle, the album will not be coming out November 10, 2009, as previously planned. The team responsible for promoting the record is no longer with the label, so before they release the album, Michelle wants to make sure there is a proper team in place to promote the record. Early 2010 is most likely. In 2009 Deluxe versions of both The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper were released digitally on itunes. They include rarities, videos and acoustic versions of Branch's songs.

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. Prior to meeting her husband she dated guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme of Lifehouse and The Calling.³⁴

Her other relatives include her parents Peggy and David, an older half-brother also 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.⁵.

Branch has over 10 tattoos.⁶

During 2007, she sold her Calabasas home, and in January 2008 moved to Nashville.⁷⁸ 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.⁹ The plan was later 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 2009 she began using a custom made Hummingbird which is the only white one in existence. 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,^{citation needed} 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.¹⁰¹¹¹²

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Guest singles

• ^A Current single.

Miscellaneous

Music videos

Filmography

Acting roles only:

Awards

References

External links

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Michelle Branch

• Official site
• Michelle Branch and Us
• MichelleBranch.CN
• Michelle Branch at the Internet Movie Database
• Michelle Branch at TV.com
• MichelleBranch Videos
• Michelle Branch Concert Photos
• Feature story on The Wreckers
• 2003 Grammy Awards