Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple was only 19 years old when she established herself in the music industry. Her debut album, full of tracks with soulful emotionally poetic songs with strong jazz, pop and alternative rock influences, set the pace for similar young female artists that have come along since.

Fiona turned heads with her 1996 debut, Tidal when music fans were shocked that her mature voice and style was coming out of an artist who was so young. Many dudes were transfixed by her cute petite body and dreamy countenance. Apples first Video was to "Sleep to Dream" and featured her writhing around dreamily in some apartment after a party. Many dudes thought it was hot. Apple's breakthrough was the third single off the album, "Criminal", which was accompanied by a controversial video, which featured Fiona in sultry mode singing about crushing some poor guys world. The video was considered exploitative by many and Apple reflected years later that she was not proud of it. This period also featured a battle royale between the uber-hot Apple who argued with arch-feminist and stranger to soap and shampoo Janeane Garofolo about the video and feminism. Tidal sold 2.7 million copies.

In 1999, she followed up with a critically acclaimed album that held a place in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest album title with 90 words. "When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He'll Win the Whole Thing 'Fore He Enters the Ring There's No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and if You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and if You Fall It Won't Matter, 'Cuz You'll Know That You're Right." The music channels and publications wisely listed the platinum-selling album title as simply "When the Pawn....."

It took another 6 years for Apple to release her third album; Extraordinary Machine which she began working on in 2002. A bit of writers block, unhappiness with the finished product (at one point starting over from scratch with a different producer), and record label executives meddling in the process delayed the project. A few songs were leaked online in 2004 to the delight of fans that started up a Free Fiona campaign to get Sony Music Entertainment to release the album already. After 36,000 signatures on a petition, the label put out Extraordinary Machine in 2005. The album became the highest-charting album of Apple's career in the US (debuting at #7).

Fiona is currently working on her fourth studio album.