b. 2 July 1983, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA. This US singer-songwriter was raised in Sedona, a small town in Arizona. After receiving a guitar for her fourteenth birthday, Branch began writing her own songs and playing live gigs around her home town. Before reaching 18 she had recorded an independently released debut album and opened for Hanson. A recording contract with Maverick Records followed, with her second album appearing a few months later. Recorded with Melissa Etheridge producer John Shanks, The Spirit Room was buoyed by the success of the radio-friendly singles ‘Everywhere’ and ‘All You Wanted’. In 2002, her duet with Santana on ‘The Game Of Love’ became a major transatlantic hit. Her third album, Hotel Paper, followed in 2003. Branch also records and tours with singer-songwriter Jessica Harp in the country-styled duo the Wreckers.
Branch’s preference for slick pop rock and self-absorbed lyrics has earned her inevitable comparisons to both Etheridge and Alanis Morissette, although Cat Stevens remains her mentor. Nevertheless, the quality of her material marks her out as one of the leading figures in the new wave of musically literate, good-looking female singer-songwriters.
