Throwback Artist Bio: Fiona Apple

Fiona Apple is an absolute beast when it comes to music. The youngest daughter of actor Brandon Maggart, Apple was born in New York City but was raised alternating between her mom’s home in New York, and her father’s home in Los Angeles.

Classically trained on piano as a child, she began composing her own songs when she was eight years old. Her debut album, Tidal, containing songs written when she was 17, was released in 1996 and received a Grammy Award for Best Female Vocal Rock Performance for the single “Criminal”.

As far as the rest of the underground was concerned, the single Shadowboxer was the sound and vibe that they yearned for the most. With Fiona on the black and whites, she might as well be Quasimodo because she plays the keys like he plays the bells. Fiona also has an outstanding pedigree when it comes to songwriting and overall vocal ability; her voice sounds like Billie Holliday and Neil Diamond had a baby.

Grammy Grabs

She followed her debut album with When the Pawn… (1999), produced by Jon Brion, which was commercially successful and certified platinum. What was great about Fiona was that she was able to keep delivering the type of songs that the fans wanted. Her Sophmore album had just as much fire-power as the first, which pleased her fanbase as much as the critics. Fiona was an artist that took the time to produce a quality album and did so every time.

Apple went on to slowly crank out the next albums Extraordinary (2005), and The Idler Wheel (2012). Each time Fiona approached an album, she did it with a complete understanding of what she wanted to express. In our opinion, Fiona is like Stevie Wonder in the sense that when you go through her catalog you will find songs that are not commercially relevant, but they are to the artist.

In her own way, Fiona gives you a chance to experience her song-writing prowess as well as see how she thinks and grows. Over the course of her first four albums she would only receive one Grammy, although she was nominated 11 times.

I’m a hot knife, he’s a pat of butter

Who says sh*t like that? Fiona continues to enchant us with her lyrics, sometimes she’s talking at you, sometimes she is yelling at you, and sometimes she’s just talking smack.

The most exciting thing about Fiona Apple is that she is continuously producing albums full of fire just like when she started. In 2020 she released Fetch The Bolt Cutters. Apple takes you to a familiar place with her heavy keys riffs and puts another gem on her star-studded belt of hard ass albums.

Consistency is key. We mean, how solid do you have to be as an artist? Fiona Apple checks all the boxes when it comes to how a musician should deliver music. We are so delighted that this artist never gave up on herself, her sound, or her fans, and continues to produce that cool whip that we can’t get enough of. Rock on Fiona.