Martha Wainwright
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Martha Wainwright (born May 8, 1976) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has released seven critically-acclaimed studio albums. Wainwright is the daughter of musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and the younger sister of singer–composer Rufus Wainwright. Martha Wainwright's live performances have received critical praise, with ''
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'' writing that her concerts "leave in no doubt that she is a singular star." Apart from music, she has appeared in several film projects, including
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...
's '' The Aviator'' and the
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miniseries '' Olive Kitteridge'' alongside
Frances McDormand Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and film producer. In a career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...
. Wainwright owns and operates Ursa, a café, concert-hall, bar, and recording space in
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
.


Early life

Martha was born in New York City on May 8, 1976, to folk musicians Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III. She moved to Montreal with her mother and brother when she was one year old, and was raised in Montreal in a musical family. She is Rufus Wainwright's sister and they frequently perform together and collaborate on each other's albums. Martha is also half-sister to Lucy Wainwright Roche, with whom she collaborated on the album '' Songs In The Dark'', which was nominated for a
Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
.


Career


Debut EPs and ''Martha Wainwright''

Martha Wainwright's first release was an album-length independent cassette of ten tracks, ''Ground Floor,'' released in 1997. Wainwright released two EPs in 2005—'' Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole'' and '' I Will Internalize''—both of which contained some tracks that also appeared on her self-titled studio album, '' Martha Wainwright''.
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
called the ''Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole'' EP "a rebellious introductory stance for an artist looking to provoke or silence potential critics." ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
'' included the song "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" in their songs of the year and ''
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'' called it "a blistering prelude to her debut album." "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" was inspired by Wainwright's father, Loudon Wainwright III. She wrote the track as a response to her father's way of writing songs about his family, rather than tending to them. Despite the sentiment, she collaborated a year earlier with Loudon on the song "You Never Phone" on his 2003 album '' So Damn Happy''. "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" was used at the end of the second episode in season three of the
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original series ''
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'', and at the end of the fourth episode in season one of the
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original series '' Big Little Lies''. Wainwright's self-titled debut album was released through Zoë Records and Drowned in Sound in April 2005, and earned Wainwright a nomination for New Artist of the Year at the 2006
Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...
. The album also reached number 43 on ''Billboard''s Top Heatseekers chart. Her debut album featured contributions from her mother, Kate McGarrigle, her brother, Rufus Wainwright, her cousin, Lily Lanken, as well as organ and saxophone from
Garth Hudson Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the mo ...
of
The Band The Band was a Canadian-American rock music, rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, in 1957. It consisted of the Canadians Rick Danko (bass, guitar, vocals, fiddle), Garth Hudson (organ, keyboards, accordion, saxophone), Richard Manuel (piano, d ...
.
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wrote that the album "proves Martha Wainwright has a strong, distinct, fully formed musical identity, which would be just as impressive by any other name." In 2006, Wainwright collaborated with
Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland, consisting of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), and Johnny McDaid (piano, guitar, keyboards, backi ...
on their song " Set the Fire to the Third Bar", off their critically and commercially successful album '' Eyes Open''. Frontman Gary Lightbody says that he wrote the song with Wainwright's vocals specifically in mind. Alvin Chan from ''musicOMH'' raved that "Lightbody's vocals are perfectly complemented by Canadian songstress Martha Wainwright, whose arrestingly haunting voice is put to good use."


''I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too''

Wainwright's second album, '' I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too'', was released through Zoë Records and  Drowned in Sound in June 2008, resulting in the No. 10 position on the Top Heatseekers ''Billboard'' charts and No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Canada Music Charts, among other chart positions throughout Europe and Australia. The album was hailed for showcasing Wainwright's musical maturity and talent as a songwriter, and was a Long List Nominee for the 2009
Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...
. The album features 12 original tracks and  cover versions of 
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experiments ...
's '' See Emily Play'' and, as a bonus track in some countries, the 
Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British New wave music, new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band t ...
' '' Love Is a Stranger''. The Australian release included a limited edition 
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 with additional images and the bonus track. "Comin' Tonight" was released as an 
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 exclusive download in Australia in April 2008. In addition to returning collaborators Anna McGarrigle, Kate McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, and
Garth Hudson Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for The Band. He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the mo ...
,
Donald Fagen Donald Jay Fagen (born January 10, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is the co-founder, lead singer, co-songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Steely Dan, formed in the early 1970s with musical partner Walter Becker ...
of
Steely Dan Steely Dan is an American rock band formed in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, in 1971 by Walter Becker (guitars, bass, backing vocals) and Donald Fagen (keyboards, lead vocals). Originally having a traditional band lineup, Becker and Fagen cho ...
contributed synthesizers on "So Many Friends", and
Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, keyboardist, second lead vocalist, principal songwriter and leader of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s an ...
played electric guitar on "You Cheated Me" and "Comin' Tonight".


''Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record''

'' Sans Fusils, Ni Souliers, à Paris: Martha Wainwright's Piaf Record'', a tribute to legendary French singer Édith Piaf, was released in November 2009. An homage to Piaf, it was received with glowing reviews, leaving audiences "stunned" by Wainwright's "incredible range and talent". The album was recorded during three performances in New York's Dixon Place Theatre in June 2009. The accompanying DVD was filmed by Jamie Catto. The name of the album comes from the lyrics to Piaf's song "Les Grognards".


''Come Home to Mama''

'' Come Home To Mama'' was released on October 15, 2012. The album was recorded at 
Sean Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tige ...
's home studio in New York City and produced by Cibo Matto's  Yuka Honda. Guest musicians on the album included Honda, Lennon, 
Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...
 guitarist Nels Cline, and 
Dirty Three Dirty Three are an Australian instrumental rock band, consisting of Warren Ellis (musician), Warren Ellis (violin, keyboards), Mick Turner (electric guitar, organ and bass) and Jim White (drummer), Jim White (drums), which formed in 1992. Their ...
 drummer  Jim White. "Proserpina", the album's first  single, was written by Wainwright's mother,  Kate McGarrigle, who died in 2010. Produced by Cibo Matto's Yuka Honda, it was heralded by
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as a "substantial and brilliantly sung career best." The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Canada Music Charts and #21 US Top Heatseekers ''Billboard'' charts. The song "Four Black Sheep" was originally recorded in 2009 for  CBC Radio 2's '' Great Canadian Song Quest''.


''Trauma''

In 2013, she recorded the soundtrack album for the fourth season of the television drama series '' Trauma.'' For the soundtrack project, Wainwright selected songs drawn mainly from the Quebec musical repertoire. In addition to covers of Offenbach, Claude Dubois and Daniel Bélanger, Wainwright re-recorded three of her own songs in French as well as one by Kate & Anna McGarrigle.


''Songs in the Dark''

In 2015, Wainwright collaborated with her half-sister Lucy Wainwright Roche on the album '' Songs in the Dark''. Released under the name The Wainwright Sisters, the album featured a suite of lullabies that their mothers Kate McGarrigle and Suzzy Roche sang to them as children, in addition to songs by 
Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 â€“ October 3, 1967) was an American singer, songwriter, and composer widely considered to be one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American Left, A ...
,  Jimmie Rogers, and their father Loudon Wainwright III. Details of the album were announced in September 2015. The song " El Condor Pasa" premiered on Speakeasy, a blog affiliated with ''
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'', via 
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, on October 7, 2015. Andy Gill of ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' gave the album four out of five stars and wrote, "if ever an album merited the epithet 'charming', this is it." The album was nominated for Traditional Roots Album of the Year at the 2016
Juno Awards The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's music industry. The Grammy Awards are the United S ...
.


''Goodnight City''

'' Goodnight City'' was released in November 2016, and received notable praise from
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
, NPR, and
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, who called it "uplifting and powerful." Unlike previous albums, Martha Wainwright chose to co-write several of the songs on ''Goodnight City'' with friends and other notable songwriters, including
Beth Orton Elizabeth Caroline Orton (born 14 December 1970) is an English musician known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall ...
,
Glen Hansard Glen James Hansard (born 21 April 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten o ...
,
Michael Ondaatje Philip Michael Ondaatje (; born 12 September 1943) is a Sri Lankan-born Canadian poet, fiction writer and essayist. Ondaatje's literary career began with his poetry in 1967, publishing ''The Dainty Monsters'', and then in 1970 the critically a ...
, and Merrill Garbus of Tune-Yards. Recorded in Montreal, ''Goodnight City'' was produced by Thomas Bartlett, who previously worked with
Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...
and
Glen Hansard Glen James Hansard (born 21 April 1970) is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician. Since 1990, he has been the frontman of the Irish rock band The Frames, with whom he has released six studio albums, four of which have charted in the top ten o ...
. The album reached #41 on the ''Billboard'' Canadian Music charts. In May 2020, Wainwright released "Wolves", a duet with Rufus Wainwright that was recorded during the sessions for ''Goodnight City''.


''Love Will Be Reborn''

In 2021, Wainwright released '' Love Will Be Reborn'', which has been received as her best album since her self-titled debut. ''Love Will Be Reborn'' was made during the pandemic and recorded in Wainwright's hometown of Montreal, in the basement of her café-bar, Ursa, which also served as a studio. The songs on the album were largely influenced by her divorce from producer Brad Albetta. Wainwright began writing the album in 2017 after her separation from Albetta. Wainwright has described the album as "more on a broader perspective of themes of life and death, and time and trust and lack of trust, and parenthood and all of these things that sort of seem like a much bigger, broader, perspective and a deeper, more layered life." The album features
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
musicians Thom Gill, Phil Melanson, Morgan Moore, and Josh Cole of Bernice, and was produced by Pierre Marchand, who also produced several of Kate & Anna McGarrigle's albums. ''Love Will Be Reborn'' received universal acclaim upon its release.
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
wrote that, "''Love Will Be Reborn'' feels at once bigger and smaller than her previous material, with each quiet rumination leading her toward grander musings on love, grief, and motherhood." ''
American Songwriter ''American Songwriter'' is a bimonthly magazine covering songwriting. Established in 1984, it features interviews, songwriting tips, news, reviews and lyric contest. The magazine is based in Nashville, Tennessee. History The ''American Songwri ...
'' wrote that ''Love Will Be Reborn'' "could be considered Martha Wainwright's tour de force, a de facto declaration of outrage and emotion shared with full intent and without hesitation," and hailed that "if artistry is the product of passion, then Wainwright has demonstrated yet again that she's capable of channeling it better than most."


Other projects

Martha Wainwright has contributed songs to various soundtracks and 
compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one Performing arts#Performers, performer or by several performers. If the recordings are from ...
s, including '' The Aviator'' (2004), '' Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man'' (2005), and '' Song of America'' (2007). In 2009, Wainwright appeared on her father's album '' High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project'', which won the 2010
Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...
for Best Traditional Folk Album. Martha Wainwright participated in the 2015 edition of
Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Fre ...
, advocating for Jocelyne Saucier's novel ''And the Birds Rained Down''. In 2020, she hosted the television series ''Mix sonore'', a bilingual production featuring Canadian musicians. The show was broadcast on the network Unis TV. In 2019, Wainwright opened a café-bar in Montreal called Ursa on
Parc Avenue Park Avenue (officially in ) is one of central Montreal's major north-south streets. It derives its name from Mount Royal#Mount Royal Park, Mount Royal Park, by which it runs. Between Mount Royal Avenue and Pine Avenue, the street separates the e ...
. Several artists have performed at the venue since it opened, including Patrick Watson, La Force, The Barr Brothers, Rufus Wainwright, and Loudon Wainwright III. Her 2021 album, '' Love Will Be Reborn'', was recorded at Ursa during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. During the pandemic, Wainwright performed a series of rooftop concerts in Montreal. She spearheaded several balcony sing-alongs working alongside POP Montreal, where Montrealers sang at night on their balconies to uniting community anthems, including
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...
s " So Long, Marianne" and "I Lost My Baby" by Jean Leloup. Wainwright released her memoirs in English: ''Stories I Might Regret Telling You'' and in French: ''Rien de grave n'est encore arrivé'' translated by Fanny Britt in the spring of 2022.


Personal life

Wainwright married her producer and musical collaborator Brad Albetta in September 2007. They divorced in 2018. They have two sons, Arcangelo and Francis.


Discography

* '' Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole'' (EP) (2005) * '' Martha Wainwright'' (2005) * '' I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too'' (2008) * '' Come Home to Mama'' (2012) * '' Trauma'' (2013) * '' Goodnight City'' (2016) * '' Love Will Be Reborn'' (2021) * ''6 Songs'' (2025)


References


External links

* * *
Interview with Martha Wainwright
by ''The Poetry Extension''
Interview with Martha Wainwright
on
CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
Q {{DEFAULTSORT:Wainwright, Martha 1976 births Living people 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers American emigrants to Canada Anglophone Quebec people Bayard family Canadian people of Dutch descent Canadian women pop singers Canadian women singer-songwriters French-language singers of Canada McGarrigle–Wainwright–Roche family Place of birth missing (living people) Rufus Wainwright Singers from Montreal Songwriters from Quebec Stuyvesant family The Wainwright Sisters members Canadian women autobiographers Zoë Records artists 20th-century Canadian singer-songwriters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Canadian indie folk musicians M