Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple (born Fiona Apple Maggart on September 13, 1977 in New York City) is an American singer-songwriter. Her albums, Tidal (1996) and When the Pawn (1999), have sold over five million copies worldwide. http://www.fiona-apple.com/em/pressrelease.html

Career

Her big break in the music industry came when a friend, who babysat for a record executive, handed his employer a demo. Apple's husky voice and phrasings got the attention of Sony executives, who signed her to a record deal.

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Going Tidal, 1995–1998

In 1996, Apple's debut album Tidal was released by a subsidiary of Sony. The album went on to sell 3 million copies (certified triple platinum) domestically.

Related Topics:
1996 - Tidal

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"Criminal," the third single from Tidal, became the breakthrough hit for the songstress. The song's suggestive opening lyrics ("I've been a bad, bad girl..."), accompanied by a controversial music video directed by Mark Romanek in which a waifishly thin Apple appeared in various degrees of undress, garnered a great deal of attention. Unsurprisingly, the video received heavy rotation on VH-1 and MTV. Years later, Apple said, "I wasn't . And you can see that in the video. It's not sexy. It's disturbing."

Related Topics:
Single - Music video - Mark Romanek - VH-1 - MTV

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Other singles from Tidal included "Sleep to Dream," "Shadowboxer," "Never is a Promise," and "The First Taste."

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After a series of fiery public appearances, Apple's image began to suffer. Most notoriously, while accepting an MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist Video of 1997 ("Sleep To Dream"), she proclaimed "this world is bullshit" and quoted Maya Angelou: "Go with yourself." Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was huge; host Chris Rock made a derisive comment about her speech, which only added to the backlash. Some considered her remarks hypocritical, seeing a contradiction between her appearance in a risque music video in only her underwear, and her telling young women to ignore celebrity culture. She was unapologetic, however: "When I have something to say, I'll say it."

Related Topics:
Video Music Award - 1997 - Maya Angelou - Chris Rock

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When the Pawn era, 1999–2001

In 1999, Apple's second album, 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 (commonly shortened to When the Pawn) was released.

Related Topics:
1999 - When the Pawn

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The album was cultivated during Apple's relationship with film director Paul Thomas Anderson. It was well-received critically, especially by the New York Times and by Rolling Stone, but some press immediately dismissed the album. The initial review in Spin Magazine simply quoted the title, and then underneath read "Whoops. Now we don't have room for a review. One star."

Related Topics:
Paul Thomas Anderson - New York Times - Rolling Stone - Spin Magazine

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The album used more expressive lyrics, experimented more with drum loops and heavily incorporated clavichord and organ. It did not commercially fare as well as her debut, though it was an RIAA-certified Platinum-selling release in the United States. Several singles were released ("Fast as You Can," "Paper Bag" and "Limp"), but the videos (directed by then-boyfriend Anderson) received very little airplay. The album's lyrics were also often difficult to decipher, due to Apple's usage of archaic and creative wording in place of layman's terms. For example: "My derring-do allows me to dance the rigadoon around you. But by the time I'm close to you, I lose my desideratum "

Related Topics:
Drum loop - Clavichord - Organ - RIAA - Platinum - United States

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Despite critical support, the lengthy title, obtuse lyrics, and controversy surrounding her public persona rendered her music — and Apple herself — inaccessible for many.

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Fashioning an Extraordinary Machine, 2002–2005

A third album, Extraordinary Machine, which was produced by Jon Brion, was submitted to Sony executives in May 2003. Sony was reportedly unenthusiastic about the finished product, and the project was shelved for over two years.

Related Topics:
Extraordinary Machine - Jon Brion - 2003

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In 2004, the tracks "Extraordinary Machine" and "Better Version of Me" were leaked on the Internet in MP3 format and played on US and international radio; subsequently, MP3s of the entire album, believed produced by Brion (although he later claimed the leaked tracks were "tweaked" beyond his own work), went online. Although a website distributing the album was quickly taken offline via the DMCA copyright law, they soon reached P2P networks and were snapped up by fans eager to hear Apple's music after a five year wait. The bootleg was received favorably, but with caveats; words like "innovative", "experimental", and "brilliant" were used alongside words like "unsteady", "uneven" and "unfinished."

Related Topics:
2004 - Internet - MP3 - Website - DMCA copyright law - P2P - Bootleg

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Spin later reported: "Fans erroneously thought that Apple's record label, Epic, had rejected the first version of Extraordinary Machine... in reality, according to Elizondo, Apple was unhappy with the results, and it was her decision to redo the record, not her label's."

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On August 15, 2005, the long awaited third album was given a release date of October 4. The label announced that production had been completed by Mike Elizondo (though known for his work with hip-hop artists such as Dr. Dre, he had previously played bass for Apple on Pawn) and co-produced by electronica experimentalist Brian Kehew. No mention was made of Brion's participation, but it was quickly determined that of the 11 tracks previously leaked, 2 would appear unchanged, 9 were completely retooled, and there would be one brand new song. The album will be a DualDisc, the DVD side of which will contain new videos for "Not About Love" and "Parting Gift", five of Apple's perfomances filmed at Largo, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Related Topics:
August 15 - 2005 - October 4 - Mike Elizondo - Hip-hop - Dr. Dre - Bass - Electronica - Brian Kehew - DualDisc - DVD - Largo

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According to Elizondo, "Everything was done from scratch." He went on to state that most of the production sounds "radically different." The New York Times suggested that Epic Records was unimpressed by fan interest in the bootleg, and that Apple herself never considered the album finished. By the time of the leak, she and Elizondo had already started the re-recording process. Elizondo praised Apple's "amazing core" of fans, while acknowledging the awkwardness of working on an album that was already being dissected publicly, but defended Apple for sticking to her ultimate vision for the album.

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Facts remain unclear as to what exactly transpired. There were suggestions that either Sony, or Apple herself, was unhappy with Brion's work. Brion has a reputation for perfectionism, which could have interfered with completion, but it had been understood that he completed and delivered a master tape. His penchant for adding to albums he produces could also have led to artistic differences. Elizondo states that Apple ultimately saw her "vision" for the album through, which may obliquely reference an unhappiness with Brion's work, but the singer has never publicly confirmed that. The only statement Apple has released regarding the new album states "Now that my album is finally finished, I am very, very excited to have people hear what we did — I am so proud of it, and all of us who worked on it."

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Despite suggestions that the album had caused a rift between Brion and Apple, they regularly perform together at Largo, a club in Los Angeles, including a joint appearance with Elizondo on bass just before the news broke of an official release. Elizondo has hinted that he might join Apple on a live tour to support the album. Until the album's release, Apple's official website will be updated with new clips every Friday.

Related Topics:
Largo - Los Angeles

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