Jann Arden
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| Jann Arden | |
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 Jann Arden performing on her 2007 Uncover Me Tour in Kitchener, ON.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jann Arden Anne Richards |
| Born | March 27, 1962 |
| Origin | Calgary, Alberta Canada  |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Vocalist |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Label(s) | A&M Records, Universal |
| Website | Jann Arden Official Website |
Jann Arden (born Jann Arden Anne Richards on March 27, 1962) is an award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter with a fan base primarily in Canada. She was born near Calgary, Alberta.
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[edit] Career
Arden spent most of the 1980s playing her music in bars and busking, struggling to get noticed. Her breakthrough came with her critically acclaimed 1992 debut album Time for Mercy and her first single "I Would Die For You". Her success grew with 1994's Living Under June, which featured her biggest hit to date outside of Canada, "Insensitive", which was released as a single from the soundtrack to the Christian Slater film Bed of Roses (number 12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100). Another single from that same album, "Could I Be Your Girl", has also had significant, and consistent airplay on Canadian adult contemporary radio since its release, and in an unusual move for a Jann Arden song, even featured a dance remix version which circulated on pop radio at the time.
Subsequent albums include 1997's Happy?, 2000's Blood Red Cherry (on which Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo sang backing vocals), and 2003's Love Is the Only Soldier. She also released a greatest hits album, Greatest Hurts, in 2001, and a live album, Jann Arden Live with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (2002). In 2005, she released her eighth album (her sixth album of new material) titled simply Jann Arden.
She also covered Leonard Cohen's "If it be your will..." on the 1995 Cohen tribute album Tower of Song.
Although Arden's pop-rock songs are known for their sadness and tales of heartache, Arden is paradoxically also known for her gregarious sense of humour. Her personal stories, often involving her close-knit family, have won her great affection among her loyal fan base, and her concerts routinely sell out across Canada. In 1998, respondents to Chart magazine's year-end reader's poll named Arden the Canadian celebrity most deserving of her own talk show. Arden frequently does loving, homespun impersonations of her parents during her shows. As part of her public honesty about her family life, she has revealed that one of her brothers is serving a life sentence in prison, and that her song "Hanging by a Thread" is dedicated to him.
In December 2006, the first images of a slimmed-down Arden appeared in a photo shoot for Chatelaine magazine, and she revealed that she has recently lost over 50 pounds.
Jann Arden released her ninth album, Uncover Me, on February 6, 2007. This album was her first comprising cover songs exclusively, except for one original piece, "Counterfeit Heart". This was followed by her Uncover Me Tour across Canada during the spring of 2007.
On the weekend of March 24, 2007, Jann Arden was admitted to intensive care for heart related concerns, diagnosed as Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, a condition commonly associated with acute stress and exhaustion.
She had a 2007 USA Summer tour with Michael Bublé.
[edit] Other projects
- Arden has also written two books of personal reflections and poetry, If I Knew, Don't You Think I'd Tell You, released in 2002 and I'll Tell You One Damn Thing, and That's All I Know in 2004.
- She currently authors a monthly advice column in Elle Canada magazine, and also regularly contributes thoughts, ideas and poems on her personal website.
- Arden was also the owner of a diner in Calgary named The Arden which closed down in April of 2005. In 2003 she starred in her own Canadian TV reality show called The Arden Diner, a behind-the-scenes look at a day in the life of the hectic restaurant.
[edit] Accolades
- 17 top ten singles from eight albums
- Arden has received a total of 19 Juno Award nominations to date. She has won eight of them, including Songwriter of the Year in 1995 and 2002, and Female Artist of the Year in 1995 and 2001.
- She has also won awards at the MuchMusic Video Awards, the Prairie Music Awards, the Western Canadian Music Awards and at the ARIA (Alberta Recording Industry Association) Awards.
- In March 2006, it was announced that she would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.
- In November 2006, Arden received the National Achievement Award from the Society of Composers, Authors, and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) for having six singles reach the 100,000 airplay mark on Canadian radio. She was awarded the prize at a gala in Toronto.
- In November 2007, Arden was inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and was the winner of the International Achievement Award at the 2007 Western Canadian Music Awards
[edit] Trivia
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- Six of Jann Arden's songs ("Good Mother," "You Don't Know Me," "Hangin' By A Thread," "In Your Keeping," "Mend," and "Sleepless") were featured on the WB teen drama Dawson's Creek. "Good Mother" was featured in two different episodes, and is a favorite music moment among fans of the show.
- Cites The Carpenters and John Denver among her early influences.
- She concludes every concert performance with the song Good Mother.
- Country singer Terri Clark did a version of "Good Mother"
[edit] Appearances
- She has made a number of charity appearances, including appearances in Africa for World Vision, performing at Live 8 and the MAC Cosmetics Fashion Cares AIDS benefits.
- She appeared in the opening segment of an episode from the sitcom "Ellen" starring Ellen Degeneres, originally aired on January 8, 1997.
- In 1998, she appeared in a comedic skit with host Jason Priestley to kick off the Juno Award ceremonies held in Vancouver, British Columbia.
- In 2002, she appeared as The Ghost of Christmas Specials Past in The True Meaning of Christmas Specials
- She also appeared in the 2005 Corner Gas episode "Fun Run" and often makes guest appearances on the Rick Mercer Report.
- She has taken part in performances of The Vagina Monologues across Canada.
- She toured with Michael Buble on the U.S. and European legs of his 2005 tour, and is again touring with Michael Buble on his 2007 U.S. tour.
- She sang "O Canada" at the 2006 NBA All-Star Game.
- At the 2006 Juno Awards, to counter host Pamela Anderson's on-stage anti-seal hunting rant, Arden generated cheers when she jokingly told the audience that her bra was "made entirely of seal eyelids".
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Sales | Certification | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | US | CIAA | RIAA | |||
| 1992 | Time for Mercy | 250,000+ | Platinum | |||
| 1994 | Living Under June | 76 | 1,300,000+ | 5× Platinum | Gold | |
| 1997 | Happy? | 7 | 200,000+ | 2× Platinum | ||
| 2000 | Blood Red Cherry | 9 | 50,000+ | Gold | ||
| 2001 | Greatest Hurts | 100,000+ | Platinum | |||
| 2002 | Live with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra | |||||
| 2003 | Love Is the Only Soldier | 7 | 50,000+ | Gold | ||
| 2005 | Jann Arden | 3 | 50,000+ | Gold | ||
| 2007 | Uncover Me | 3 | 100,000+ | Platinum | ||
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN | CAN AC | CAN Country | U.S. Hot 100 | U.S. AC | U.S. Adult Top 40 | U.S. Top 40/Pop | Top 40 Adult Recurrents | UK | |||
| 1980 | "Never Love A Soldier" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Independent Single |
| 1993 | "Will You Remember Me" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Time For Mercy |
| "I Would Die For You" | 65 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "I'm Not Your Lover" | - | 15 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "The Way Things Are Going" | - | - | 64 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Time For Mercy" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994 | "Could I Be Your Girl" | 50 | 1 | - | - | 33 | - | - | - | - | Living Under June |
| "Insensitive" | - | 1 | - | 12 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 1 | 40 | ||
| 1995 | "Wonderdrug" | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Unloved" (with Jackson Browne) | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Good Mother" | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996 | "Looking For It (Finding Heaven)" | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Gasoline" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997 | "The Sound Of" | 10 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Happy? |
| 1998 | "Wishing That" | - | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "I Know You" | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Ode To A Friend" | - | 19 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1999 | "Hangin' By A Thread" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| "Weeds" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "To Sir With Love" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Stand by Me" | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Stand By Me | |
| 2000 | "Sleepless" | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Blood Red Cherry |
| "Into The Sun" | - | 21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Cherry Popsicle" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Waiting In Canada" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2001 | "Will You Marry Me" (with Alabama)A | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | When It All Goes South (Alabama album) |
| "Thing For You" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Greatest Hurts | |
| "Never Mind" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003 | "Love Is the Only Soldier" | 17 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Love Is the Only Soldier |
| 2004 | "If You Loved Me" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2005 | "Where No One Knows Me" | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Jann Arden |
| "Willing To Fall Down" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Calling God" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2007 | "Bring The Boys Home" | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Uncover Me |
| "At Seventeen" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "California Dreamin'" | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| "Son of a Preacher Man" | 95 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||
- A"Will You Marry Me" peaked at #41 on Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.
[edit] External links
- Jann Arden's web site
- Jann Arden's personal Myspace Page
- Arden.html CanConRox entry
- Jann Arden discography
- Jann Arden's entry in the Encyclopedia of Music in Canada
- Jann Arden UK web site
- Audio Interview recorded February 2007
