Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, and currently based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, Van Etten's music is noted for its

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

aesthetic and personal lyrical content. In the studio and during live performances, Van Etten is currently accompanied by her backing band, the Attachment Theory, which consists of

Devra Hoff Devra Hoff is an American bassist, composer, and arranger. She is a member of Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory and co-founder of Mendoza Hoff Revels with Ava Mendoza. Career Hoff composed work for the ''Wholphin'' short film ''Look ...

(bass guitar, backing vocals), Teeny Lieberson (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and Jorge Balbi (drums). To date, Van Etten has released seven studio albums: '' Because I Was in Love'' (2009), ''

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

'' (2010), ''

Tramp A tramp is a long-term homeless person who travels from place to place as a vagrant, traditionally walking all year round. Etymology Tramp is derived from a Middle English verb meaning to "walk with heavy footsteps" (''cf.'' modern English '' ...

'' (2012), ''

Are We There ''Are We There'' is the fourth studio album by the American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten. It was released on May 27, 2014 via Jagjaguwar. Packaging Of the lack of a question mark in the album's title, Van Etten said it was "… open- ...

'' (2014), ''

Remind Me Tomorrow ''Remind Me Tomorrow'' is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten, released on January 18, 2019 by Jagjaguwar. A follow-up to ''Are We There'' (2014), the album was written while Van Etten was pregnant with her first ...

'' (2019), '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022) and '' Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory'' (2025). As an actress, Van Etten starred as Rachel in both series of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

mystery drama Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters *Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange'' *Mystery, a seahorse that SpongeBob SquarePants adopts in the episode "My Pret ...

The OA The Oa ( ) () is a rocky peninsula in the southwest of the island of Islay, in Argyll, Scotland. It is an RSPB nature reserve. Area The area is roughly circular, with a radius of about 4 km, and connects with the rest of the island at a neck ...

'' (2016–2019), and has appeared in the feature films ''

Never Rarely Sometimes Always ''Never Rarely Sometimes Always'' is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Eliza Hittman. It stars Sidney Flanigan (in her acting debut), Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, and Sharon Van Etten. It had its world premiere at th ...

'' (2020) and '' How It Ends'' (2021).

Early life

Van Etten was born in

Belleville, New Jersey Belleville (French: "Belle ville" meaning "beautiful town") is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 38,222. an increase of 2,296 (+6.4%) from the 2010 ...

, the middle child of five. She lived in Nutley, New Jersey, then moved to Clinton, New Jersey as a pre-teen. She attended

North Hunterdon High School North Hunterdon High School is a four-year regional public high school serving students from six municipalities in northern Hunterdon County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is one of two high schools in the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Regiona ...

, at which she participated in the chorus and performed in stage musicals. Later, she moved to

Murfreesboro, Tennessee Murfreesboro is a city in Rutherford County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 165,430 according to the 2023 census estimate, up from 108,755 residents certified in 2010 United States census, 2010. Murfreesboro i ...

to attend

Middle Tennessee State University Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or MT) is a Public university, public research university in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Founded in 1911 as a normal school, the university consists of eight Undergraduate education, undergraduate colleges as ...

and studied recording, but dropped out after a year. She ended up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro for about five years. She fell into an abusive relationship with a rock musician who discouraged her from writing songs. After five years, she left in the middle of the night with whatever she could carry. She lived in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York for a number of years, in the neighborhood of

Ditmas Park Ditmas Park is a historic district in the neighborhood of Flatbush in Brooklyn, New York City. The traditional boundaries of Ditmas Park, including Ditmas Park West, are Ocean Avenue and greater Flatbush to the east, Dorchester Road and the Pr ...

Career

Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released. Before her studio debut, she worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist at

Ba Da Bing Records Ba Da Bing Records is an American record label based in Brooklyn, New York. The name is derived from the saying "ba da bing, ba da boom", common among Italian-Americans, especially in New Jersey. The label was founded in Leonia, New Jersey, in 1 ...

2009: ''Because I Was in Love''

Van Etten's debut, '' Because I Was in Love'', was released on May 26, 2009, on Language of Stone, and was manufactured and distributed by Drag City. ''Because I Was in Love'' was produced by

Greg Weeks Espers were an American psychedelic folk band from Philadelphia. Formed in 2002 as a trio of singer-songwriter Greg Weeks, Meg Baird and Brooke Sietinsons as part of the then-emerging indie folk scene, Espers later expanded to a sextet that in ...

at Hexham Head studio in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

2010: ''Epic''

On September 21, 2010, Van Etten released her second studio album, ''

,'' on Ba Da Bing Records. With no set band at the time, Van Etten called on friends Jeffrey Kish, Dave Hartley, Jessica Larrabee, and Andy LaPlant of

She Keeps Bees She Keeps Bees is a rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2006 and consisting of Jessica Larrabee on vocals and guitar and Andy LaPlant on drums. They have been compared to Patti Smith, the White Stripes, The Kills, PJ Harvey, and Cat Pow ...

, Cat Martino,

Meg Baird Meg Baird is an American musician based in San Francisco, California, United States, who, in addition to her solo career, is known as a founding member, lead vocalist, and drummer for Heron Oblivion, along with members from Assemble Head in Sunb ...

, Jim Callan, and Brian Christinzio. The first song recorded for the album was "Love More", recorded in December 2009 by record producer Brian McTear for Weathervane Music's Shaking Through documentary video series. The remainder of the album was produced by Brian McTear with engineer Amy Morrissey in May 2010 at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia.

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

described it as possessing "a fuller sound compared to the super-spare arrangements on her first two self-produced albums, but ''Epic'' still feels incredibly intimate, with lots of room to breathe and unfold."

2012: ''Tramp''

Van Etten's third studio album, ''

'', was released on February 7, 2012, on

Jagjaguwar Jagjaguwar is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana. History In 1996, in Charlottesville, Virginia, University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public resear ...

. ''Tramp'' was produced by the National's

Aaron Dessner Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band The National (band), the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big ...

and recorded in his home studio in

, New York. Additional recording took place at Miner Street Recordings in Philadelphia, where the album was also mixed with engineers and mixers Brian McTear and Jonathan Low. The album features musicians Doug Keith, Thomas Bartlett,

Bryan Devendorf Bryan Devendorf is an American drummer. He is best known as a founding member of the indie rock band The National, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums. Devendorf is also a member of the experimental rock bands Pfarmers and LNZNDRF. In ...

Bryce Dessner Bryce David Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American composer and guitarist based in Paris, and a member of the rock band the National. Dessner's twin brother, Aaron is also a member of the group. Together, they write the music in collabo ...

, Matt Barrick,

Rob Moose Rob Moose (born 1982) is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator. He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar. Early life and education Moose was born in 1982. He was raised in Windsor, Connec ...

Julianna Barwick Julianna Barwick is an American musician who composes using electronic loops. Her first album, '' The Magic Place'', was released in 2011. Music career Barwick has said that her music is influenced by her participation in church choir while gro ...

Peter Silberman Peter Silberman (born March 31, 1986) is a Brooklyn-based songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist. He is best known as a member of the rock band The Antlers. In 2017 he released a solo album, ''Impermanence''. Musical career Silberman grew up i ...

, Logan Coale, Clarice Jensen, Ben Lanz,

Zach Condon Beirut is an American indie folk project formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2006, by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zach Condon, who is the band's primary recording artist and sole constant member. In the studio and during live perf ...

, and

Jenn Wasner Jennifer Lynn Wasner (born April 16, 1986) is an American musician from Baltimore, Maryland, Baltimore. Wasner is best known as one of the founding members of the band Wye Oak (band), Wye Oak, along with Andy Stack (Musician), Andy Stack. Wasner ...

2014–2015: ''Are We There''

May 2014 brought about the release of Van Etten's fourth studio album, titled ''

'', on Jagjaguwar. Van Etten produced the record with Stewart Lerman, with the guidance of bandmate and manager Zeke Hutchins. Most of the recording was done at Hobo Sound Studios in

Weehawken, New Jersey Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located on the Hudson Waterfront and Hudson Palisades overlooking the Hudson River. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's po ...

, with piano tracks being recorded at

Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. The record features musicians Zeke Hutchins, Doug Keith,

Heather Woods Broderick Heather Woods Broderick (born June 7, 1983) is an American musician and composer. She has released solo material under her own name, been a member of Efterklang, Horse Feathers and Loch Lomond, and been a member of the backing bands of Laura Gibs ...

, Dave Hartley,

Adam Granduciel Adam Granofsky (born February 15, 1979), better known under his stage name Adam Granduciel, is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the frontman and primary songwriter of the indie rock band the War on Drugs, wit ...

Marisa Anderson Marisa Anderson is an American guitarist and composer based in Portland, Oregon. She is primarily known for mixing American primitive guitar with various genres from throughout the United States and the rest of the world, and for her largely i ...

Stuart Bogie Stuart D. Bogie is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, and music producer. Originally from Evanston, Illinois, Bogie became a staple in the Brooklyn music scene. Early years Bogie studied music at the Interlochen Arts Acad ...

, Mickey Free, Mary Lattimore, Little Isidor, Jacob Morris,

Torres Torres may refer to: People *Torres (surname), a Spanish and Portuguese surname * Torres (musician), singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott ** ''Torres'' (album), 2013 self-titled album by Torres Places Americas * Torres, Colorado, an unincorporated ...

' Mackenzie Scott,

Shearwater Shearwaters are medium-sized long-winged seabirds in the petrel family Procellariidae. They have a global marine distribution, but are most common in temperate and cold waters, and are pelagic outside the breeding season. Description These tube ...

Jonathan Meiburg Jonathan Albert Meiburg is an American musician and writer, best known as the lead singer and songwriter for Shearwater (band), Shearwater. Early life and education Meiburg was born in Baltimore, Maryland on March 1, 1976. His father, Stan Meib ...

Lower Dens Lower Dens was an American Alternative rock, alternative indie pop band from Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The band was formed in 2010 by Jana Hunter, Geoff Graham, Abram Sanders and Will Adams. Lower Dens has released four albums: their ...

Jana Hunter Jana Hunter is an American songwriter and musician based in Baltimore. Early life Hunter was born in Texas. His family is Catholic, but he no longer follows Catholicism. Recording and band membership Hunter was signed to Gnomonsong, a reco ...

, and

Efterklang Efterklang () is a Denmark, Danish art pop, indie rock band from Copenhagen, formed in December 2000. Efterklang emerged in the front half of the 2000s with a blend of pop and orchestral rock elements. The band found an audience, especially in ...

touring member

Peter Broderick Peter Broderick (born January 20, 1987) is an American musician and composer from Carlton, Oregon. He has released solo material under his own name, been a member of Efterklang, and played with several ensembles as a session musician. Biography ...

. The

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP), ''I Don't Want to Let You Down,'' a compilation of songs that were not included on ''Are We There,'' was released on Jagjaguwar in 2015.

2019–2024: ''Remind Me Tomorrow'' and ''We've Been Going About This All Wrong''

After the release of ''Are We There'', Van Etten took some time away from music. She pursued acting, had a child, and applied to

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

to study psychology and mental health counseling. Van Etten composed the score for the film '' Strange Weather'' (2016), working on the music in a practice space she shared with

Michael Cera Michael Austin Cera ( ; ; born June 7, 1988) is a Canadian actor. Over his career he has received nominations for a British Academy Film Award, three Critics' Choice Movie Awards, four Screen Actors Guild Awards, and a Tony Award. Cera beca ...

. In between working on the music for the film she recorded dozens of

demos Demos may refer to: Computing * DEMOS, a Soviet Unix-like operating system * DEMOS (ISP), the first internet service provider in the USSR * Demos Commander, an Orthodox File Manager for Unix-like systems * Plural for Demo (computer programming ...

for new songs, which would form the basis for her next album. In 2018, Van Etten released a new track, "Comeback Kid", and announced her next studio album ''

'', released on January 18, 2019. ''Remind Me Tomorrow'' was a departure from Van Etten's previous guitar-focused work, featuring more synthesizers, drums, and experimental sounds. In 2019, Van Etten moved with her son and partner to Los Angeles, California. She stated her desire with the move was to settle down and diversify her career to be less reliant on traveling tours. 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 ...

in 2020 scuttled those plans, and during the resulting

lockdowns A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

Van Etten wrote songs that focused on her new life as well as the wider political landscape and "collective trauma" people were experiencing. Van Etten played bass guitar and sang harmony vocals as the three surviving members of the rock band

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young (drummer), Brian Young. They released six album ...

performed in a televised benefit with various New Jersey-affiliated musicians to raise funds for COVID-19 relief in April 2020. She filled the role left vacant by the COVID-19-related death of

Adam Schlesinger Adam Lyons Schlesinger (October 31, 1967 – April 1, 2020) was an American musician, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He was a founding member of the bands Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows, and was also a member of the ban ...

a few weeks earlier. She and the other three members of the band played simultaneously from remote locations. The band played the song "Hackensack" from their third studio album ''

Welcome Interstate Managers ''Welcome Interstate Managers'' is the third studio album by the American rock band Fountains of Wayne. It was released by S-Curve Records on June 10, 2003. The album contains the power pop single " Stacy's Mom," which reached number 21 on the ...

'' (2003). On May 15, 2020, Van Etten released a cover version of

Brinsley Schwarz Brinsley Schwarz were a 1970s English pub rock band, named after their guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. With Nick Lowe on bass and vocals, keyboardist Bob Andrews and drummer Billy Rankin, the band evolved from the 1960s pop band Kippington Lo ...

's 1974 song "

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" is a 1974 song written by English singer/songwriter Nick Lowe. Initially released by Lowe with his band Brinsley Schwarz on their 1974 album ''The New Favourites of... Brinsley Schwarz'', ...

" with

Queens of the Stone Age Queens of the Stone Age (commonly abbreviated as QOTSA or QotSA) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1996. The band was founded by vocalist and guitarist Josh Homme shortly before he returned to his native Palm Desert, California. ...

frontman

Josh Homme Joshua Michael Homme ( ; born May 17, 1973) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He is best known as the founder and only continuous member of the rock band Queens of the Stone Age, which he for ...

. In October 2020, Van Etten made a song titled "Let Go" for the documentary film, ''

Feels Good Man ''Feels Good Man'' is a 2020 American documentary film about the Internet meme Pepe the Frog. Marking the directorial debut of Arthur Jones, the film stars artist Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe. The film follows Furie as he struggles to reclai ...

'', directed by Arthur Jones about cartoonist Matt Furie, the creator of the Internet meme

Pepe the Frog Pepe the Frog ( ) is a Comics, comic character and Internet meme created by cartoonist Matt Furie. Designed as green anthropomorphic frog with a humanoid body usually wearing a blue tee-shirt, Pepe originated in Furie's 2005 webcomic ''Boy's Cl ...

. On November 16, 2020, Van Etten released two cover versions of traditional holiday songs, "

Silent Night "Silent Night" () is a popular Christmas carol, composed in 1818 by Franz Xaver Gruber to lyrics by Joseph Mohr in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria. It was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO The United Nations Educati ...

" and " Blue Christmas". On May 20, 2021, Van Etten released a single with

Angel Olsen Angel Olsen (born Angelina Marie Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: ''Half Way Home'' (2012), ''Burn Your F ...

, "

Like I Used To Like I Used To may refer to: * ''Like I Used To'' (album), a 2012 album by Lucy Rose * "Like I Used To" (Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen song), 2021 * "Like I Used To" (Tinashe song), 2018 {{dab ...

," which was produced by

John Congleton John Congleton is a grammy winning American record producer, engineer, mixer, writer and musician. In addition to his production work, Congleton has fronted the alternative rock band The Paper Chase, and writes music for a newer project entitl ...

. Olsen and Van Etten appear in the music video with their hair styled in similar shag haircuts. In 2021 the artist was inter alia part of the

Newport Folk Festival The Newport Folk Festival is an annual American folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the Newport Jazz Festival. The festival was founded by music promoter and Jazz Festival founder Geor ...

in July. On May 6, 2022, Van Etten released her sixth studio album '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong''. On August 23, 2024, ten years after the initial release of her fourth studio album ''Are We There'', Van Etten released the single "Every Time the Sun Comes Up" (Alternate Version) on 7 inch vinyl.

2025–present: ''Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory''

In February 2025, she released '' Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory'' which received "universal praise" on Metacritic.

Influences and musical style

Van Etten cites

Ani DiFranco Angela Maria "Ani" DiFranco (; born September 23, 1970) is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. She has released more than 20 albums. DiFranco's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influenc ...

as a key influence, saying, "She was the first musician I had ever heard whose songs were super confessional. She could really play guitar... That was my first experience with non-pop female musicians. She made me want to start playing more." Van Etten possesses a

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

vocal range, which Caleb Caldwell of ''

Slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non- objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant ...

'' described as "husky". NPR described her vocals as raspy, elegant and luminous, while '' Consequence'' called it "earthy". Music journalists of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'', ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' and ''

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 ...

'' wrote that Van Etten's voice and singing style sometimes evoked

Siouxsie Sioux Susan Janet Ballion (born 27 May 1957), better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (, ), is an English singer and songwriter. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who w ...

's of

Siouxsie and the Banshees Siouxsie and the Banshees ( ) were a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. Post-punk pioneers, they were widely influential, both over their contemporaries and later ...

. Van Etten's music is characterized by a heavy use of harmonies. ''

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 ...

'' described her songs as having "echoes of

folk tradition Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

NPR Music NPR Music is a project of National Public Radio, an American privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization, that launched in November 2007 to present public radio music programming and original editorial content for music ...

asserts: "Her songs are heartfelt without being overly earnest; her poetry is plainspoken but not overt, and her elegant voice is wrapped in enough rasp and sorrow to keep from sounding too pure or confident." With "Comeback Kid" and ''Remind Me Tomorrow'', Van Etten introduced electronic sounds into her music. She has said, "I listen to a lot of OMD... I'm into a lot of the new post-punk electronic stuff." Van Etten has also cited Scott Walker,

Cocteau Twins Cocteau Twins were a Scottish rock music, rock band active from 1979 to 1997. They were formed in Grangemouth on the Firth of Forth by Robin Guthrie (guitars, drum machine) and Will Heggie (bass), adding Elizabeth Fraser (vocals) in 1981. In 19 ...

Rowland S. Howard Rowland Stuart Howard (24 October 1959 – 30 December 2009) was an Australian rock musician, guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with the post-punk group The Birthday Party (band), The Birthday Party and his subsequent solo career ...

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

, and

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

as some of her musical influences. In a 2020 interview, when asked about a few albums that mean the most to her, she named

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

's ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'' (1974),

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...

's ''

Tusk Tusks are elongated, continuously growing front teeth that protrude well beyond the mouth of certain mammal species. They are most commonly canine tooth, canine teeth, as with Narwhal, narwhals, chevrotains, musk deer, water deer, muntjac, pigs, ...

'' (1979), and

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are a Rock music, rock band formed in Melbourne in 1983 by lead vocalist Nick Cave, multi-instrumentalist Mick Harvey and German guitarist-vocalist Blixa Bargeld. The band has featured international personnel throug ...

' ''

No More Shall We Part ''No More Shall We Part'' is the eleventh studio album by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, released on 2 April 2001 in the UK (and 10 April in the US). The record, which was well received critically, came after a 4-year gap from recording, following ...

'' (2001).

Acting

Since 2016, Van Etten has appeared in both seasons of the Netflix drama ''

'' as Rachel, a fellow abductee along with Prairie in Dr. Percy's basement lab/terrarium. Rachel and the other captives are subjected to after-life experiments while conspiring over a period of years to possibly escape, and at one point, Rachel sings a song of remembrance. Van Etten also appeared in episode six of the 2017 ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...

'' series on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

, in which she performed the song “Tarifa” from her album ''

''. Van Etten made her feature film debut with a supporting role in the 2020 film ''

'' directed by

Eliza Hittman Eliza Hittman (born December 9, 1979) is an American screenwriter, film director, and producer from New York City. She has won multiple awards for her film '' Never Rarely Sometimes Always'', which include the New York Film Critics Circle Award ...

, for which she also wrote and performed the original track "Staring at a Mountain". Van Etten also appeared in the 2021 film '' How It Ends'' as Jet. The film featured two new songs by Van Etten, "How Much I Loved You" and "Till We Meet Again".

Personal life

Van Etten had her first child, a son, in 2017 with her partner Zeke Hutchins. Hutchins used to be her drummer and then became her manager. After living in New York City for 15 years, she moved with her family to Los Angeles in September 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

* ''I Don't Want to Let You Down'' (2015)

Singles

* "

" (with

, 2021)

Other contributions

* Lent her voice to the

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

"Find Your Beach" campaign, covering

Irving Berlin Irving Berlin (born Israel Isidore Beilin; May 11, 1888 – September 22, 1989) was a Russian-born American composer and songwriter. His music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook. Berlin received numerous honors including an Acade ...

's " Blue Skies" * April 2009: "Coming Home", written by Jeremy Joyce, for the feature film ''Woman's Prison'' (vocals and guitar) * August 2009: "Kettering", "Thirteen", "Two", and "Shiva" on ''

Hospice Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life b ...

'' by the Antlers (vocals) * 2010: Van Etten contributes vocals to two tracks on

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

's third studio album '' The Rip Tide'' * March 2011: "Think You Can Wait" by the National, from the soundtrack to the film '' Win Win'' (backing vocals) * December 2012: A cover of

's "

What'll I Do "What'll I Do" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1923. It was introduced by singers Grace Moore and John Steel late in the run of Berlin's third '' Music Box Revue'' and was also included in the following year's edition."American Classics ...

" was recorded with

Vince Giordano Vince Giordano (born March 11, 1952) is an American saxophonist and leader of the New York-based Nighthawks Orchestra. He specializes in jazz of the 1920s and 1930s and his primary instrument is the bass saxophone. Vince Giordano and the Nightha ...

and the Nighthawks for the season 3 finale of ''

Boardwalk Empire ''Boardwalk Empire'' is an American period crime drama television series created by Terence Winter for the premium cable channel HBO. The series is set chiefly in Atlantic City, New Jersey, during the Prohibition era of the 1920s. The series sta ...

'', "Margate Sands" * December 2012: "Prisoners", with

J Mascis Joseph Donald Mascis Jr. (born December 10, 1965), better known as J Mascis, is an American musician who is the singer, guitarist and main songwriter for the alternative rock band Dinosaur Jr. He has also released several albums as a solo artist a ...

, on ''The Music Is You: A Tribute to John Denver'' * November 2013: "Serpents" by Van Etten featured in '' The Walking Dead'' season 4, episode 4. * January 20, 2014: Writing and performing in the film ''

Song One ''Song One'' is a 2014 American romantic drama film written and directed by Kate Barker-Froyland in her directorial debut. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Johnny Flynn, Ben Rosenfield, and Mary Steenburgen. In the film, Franny Ellis returns hom ...

'', starring

Anne Hathaway Anne Jacqueline Hathaway (born November 12, 1982) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Anne Hathaway, Her accolades include an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime ...

* February 2014: Producing, recording, and performing a cover of

the Flaming Lips The Flaming Lips are an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The band currently consists of Wayne Coyne (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards), Steven Drozd (guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals), Derek Brown ...

' " Do You Realize??" for the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

children's TV show ''

Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street ''Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street'' is an American live action, magic realism family television series created by David Anaxagoras that was initially streamed for two seasons (2014–16) on Amazon Prime Video. The series, follows young G ...

'' * April 2015: Featured on the song "Sunshine on My Back" by the National, from the ''

Trouble Will Find Me ''Trouble Will Find Me'' is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on May 17, 2013, on 4AD. Produced by band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the album features appearances from St. Vincent, Sharon Van Etten, ...

'' recording sessions * July 2015: End credit songwriting for the film '' Tig'' * May 2016: Appeared on the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

tribute album ''Day of the Dead'', singing "To Lay Me Down", credited to

Perfume Genius Michael Alden Hadreas (born September 25, 1981), better known by his stage name Perfume Genius, is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Hadreas's music explores topics including sexuality, his personal struggle with Crohn's disease, dome ...

, Sharon Van Etten & Friends * September 2016: Scored the Katherine Dieckmann film '' Strange Weather'', which starred

Holly Hunter Holly Hunter (born March 20, 1958) is an American actress. For her performance as a mute Scottish woman in ''The Piano'' (1993), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She earned three more Academy Award nominations for '' Broadcast News'' ( ...

and appeared at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

. ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

s Jon Frosch praised Van Etten's contributions to the film: "The authentic-feeling Southern ambience, enhanced by Sharon Van Etten's low-key, country-inflected score, is one of the film's most potent assets." * December 2016: Featured in an acting role as Rachel in ''

'', which debuted on

on December 16, 2016 * 2017: Her cover version of " The End of the World" is featured as the lead single of Resistance Radio:

The Man in the High Castle ''The Man in the High Castle'' is an alternative history novel by Philip K. Dick, first published in 1962, which imagines a world in which the Axis Powers won World War II. The story occurs in 1962, fifteen years after the end of the war in 1 ...

Album, a cover album produced by

Danger Mouse Danger Mouse is a British action cartoon which has had two incarnations: * ''Danger Mouse'' (1981 TV series), a 1981 British animated television series * ''Danger Mouse'' (2015 TV series), a 2015 reboot of the British animated television series ...

and Sam Cohen as the companion album of the TV series' reimagining of 60's sound. * May 2019: Featured on the song "The Pull of You" by the National, from the studio album '' I Am Easy to Find''. * June 2019: Performed at the

Glastonbury Festival The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts (commonly referred to as simply Glastonbury Festival, known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts held near Pilton, Somerset, England, in most su ...

. * 2020: Featured on the opening track "Lemon" off of

Local Natives Local Natives is an American indie rock band formed in Orange County, California, and based in Los Angeles. The band currently consists of Taylor Rice (vocals, guitar), Ryan Hahn (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Frazier (drums) and Nik Ewing (ba ...

EP, '' Sour Lemon''. * 2020: Featured on the title track "Impossible Weight" by Deep Sea Diver – #29 Adult Alternative Songs * 2021: Featured on "Sad Mezcalita" by

Xiu Xiu Xiu Xiu ( ) is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart (the only constant member since formation), Angel ...

, the opener on their studio album '' Oh No''. * 2021: Featured on the track "Nest" off of Jomoro's studio album ''Blue Marble Sky.'' * 2022: Featured on the

Superchunk Superchunk is an American indie rock band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, consisting of singer-guitarist Mac McCaughan, guitarist Jim Wilbur, bassist Laura Ballance, and drummer Laura King. Formed in 1989, they were one of the bands that hel ...

song "If You're Not Dark" from the studio album Wild Loneliness * 2024: Featured on the King Hannah songs "Big Swimmer" and "This Wasn't Intentional" from the studio album '' Big Swimmer''

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Etten, Sharon 1981 births Living people American people of Flemish descent American rock singers American folk singers North Hunterdon High School alumni People from Belleville, New Jersey People from Clinton, New Jersey People from Nutley, New Jersey Singers from Brooklyn Singer-songwriters from New Jersey American women singer-songwriters American indie rock musicians American women rock singers American rock songwriters Jagjaguwar artists 21st-century American women guitarists 21st-century American guitarists 21st-century American women pianists 21st-century American pianists 21st-century American women singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from New York (state) American contraltos Middle Tennessee State University alumni Musicians from Essex County, New Jersey