Information AboutFiona Apple |
Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13 , 1977 ) is an American Singer-songwriter . She is best known as '''Fiona Apple'''. EARLY LIFE Apple is a member of a family rich with roots in entertainment. Born in New York City , she is the daughter of singer Diane McAfee and actor Brandon Maggart . Her older sister, Amber Taleullah, sings Cabaret under the stage name Maude Maggart . Her brother Spencer is a director and directed the video for her Single " Parting Gift ". Her half brother Garett Maggart starred in the TV series '' The Sentinel ''. In addition, her maternal grandparents were Millicent Green, a dancer with the George White's Scandals , a series of 1920s musical Revues similar to the Ziegfeld Follies , and Johnny McAfee , a Multireedist and vocalist of the Big Band era; her grandparents met while touring with Johnny Hamp and his Orchestra. At the age of 12, Apple was Rape d upon returning home from school to her mother's apartment. The rape is mentioned subtly in some of her work (as in the songs "Sullen Girl" and "The Child Is Gone"), but is not necessarily a major theme. While the media latched onto the story of Apple's childhood Trauma , the singer said the only reason she even mentioned the rape to an interviewer was because she didn't want it to seem like something of which she should be ashamed. There was a rumor that she had called Tori Amos the "poster girl for rape", but this was taken out of context from an interview in which she referenced Amos' song " Me And A Gun " and talked about the song's message for those who have experienced rape. As a child, there was concern she had Anti-social tendencies, as well as Obsessive-compulsive Disorder . She underwent Therapy as a child after telling a childhood friend that she was going to kill herself as well as her older sister Amber when she was 12 years old. Fiona Apple: The Caged Bird Sings CAREER Apple's break into the music industry came when a friend, who babysat for a record executive, handed her employer a demo. Apple's rich Contralto voice, piano skills and lyrics got the attention of Sony Music executive Andy Slater , who signed her to a record deal. ''Tidal'': 1995–1998 See Also: Tidal (album) In 1996 Apple's debut album, ''.com. "Criminal", the fourth single, became Apple's breakthrough hit. The song reached the top forty on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and garnered a great deal of attention, in part because of the controversial Mark Romanek -directed music video. While manager Slater says he considered the clip a "tribute to Gregg Araki and [photographer] Nan Goldin ", some found it cynical and exploitative. Years later Apple said: "The shit that got me popular was the stuff that I was not proud of ... I wanted to be like every other girl you see in videos, and that's why it's embarrassing. But the way that I justified [the treatment] is that the song is about someone talking to God about a mistake they've been making ... But I think the thing that screwed it up is how fuckin' horrified I look". Years later, she said that the video fit with the song and that it was "beautiful". Other singles from ''Tidal'' included "Shadowboxer", "Slow like Honey", "Sleep to Dream", "The First Taste" and "Never Is a Promise". After a series of fiery public appearances, Apple's public image began to suffer in some circles. Most notoriously, while accepting the 1997 : "Go with yourself". Though her comments were generally greeted with cheers and applause at the awards ceremony, the media backlash was immediate. Some considered her remarks hypocritical, seeing a contradiction between her appearance in a risqué 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 fuckin' well say it". Stand-up comedian Denis Leary included a satire of this speech on his album, '' Lock 'n Load '', titled "A Reading from the Book of Apple". Janeane Garofalo parodied Apple's comments in light of the fact that her video reinforces the very celebrity fixation on weight and appearance that Apple condemned. Apple, who admitted she was a fan of Garofalo's, was angry about this, mainly because Garofalo had talked about her struggles with her own weight. Apple seemed to misunderstand the nature of Garofalo's satire, feeling the bit was a cheap shot at her emaciated appearance. Garofalo reportedly replied, "It's comedy. Deal with it". During this period Apple contributed covers of The Beatles ' " Across The Universe " and Percy Mayfield 's " Please Send Me Someone To Love " to the soundtrack of the film '' Pleasantville ''. ''When the Pawn...'': 1999–2001 See Also: When the Pawn... In 1999 Apple's second album, '' When The Pawn... '', was released. Its full title is ''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'll Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won't Matter, Cuz You Know That You're Right''. The title is a poem Apple wrote after reading the readers' letters that appeared in '' Spin '' after an article had cast her in a negative light in an earlier issue. ITunes Originals Interview, 2006 The title's length earned it a spot in the '' Guinness Book Of Records ''. The album was cultivated during Apple's relationship with film director Paul Thomas Anderson . ''When the Pawn...'' received a positive reception from publications such as '' The New York Times '' and '' Rolling Stone '', but some music journalists immediately dismissed the album. A review in the aforementioned ''Spin'' magazine quoted the title, and then underneath said "Whoops. Now we don't have room for a review. One star". ''When the Pawn...'' used more expressive lyrics, experimented more with Drum Loop s, and incorporated Chamberlin . It did not fare as well commercially as her debut, though it was a platinum RIAA -certified Platinum Album -selling release and sold 1 million copies in the U.S. The album's lead single, " Fast As You Can ", reached the top 20 on ''Billboard'''s Modern Rock Tracks chart and became Apple's first Top 40 hit in the UK. The videos for two follow-up singles, "Paper Bag" and "Limp" (directed by then-boyfriend Anderson), received very little play. |
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