| Brandi Carlile | |
|---|---|
Carlile performing at Neumos in Seattle on 20 November 2010. |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | June 1, 1981 Ravensdale, Washington, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop rock, alternative country, folk rock |
| Occupations | Musician, Songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, piano, banjo |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Columbia |
| Website | BrandiCarlile.com |
Brandi Carlile (born June 1, 1981) is an American alternative country and folk rock singer-songwriter[1] who, in 2005, was featured on the Rolling Stone list of "10 Artists to Watch in 2005"[2] in recognition of her self-produced debut album on Columbia Records simply titled Brandi Carlile. In 2007, her album The Story was produced by T-Bone Burnett and included a collaboration with the Indigo Girls on the song "Cannonball"; by 2011, the hidden track "Hiding My Heart" from the album was covered by English singer Adele as a bonus track for the limited edition of the latter's album 21.
Carlile is best known for the eponymous song from the The Story album. "The Story", the song, was used in a General Motors television commercial aired on American and Canadian television showcasing the car company's new line-up of more fuel-efficient cars.[3] Due to the ad airing heavily during the 2008 Beijing Olympics,[4] the song increased in downloads. The song was also used in the 2008 commercial for Super Bock, the most popular beer in Portugal, which led to the song reaching number 1 and the album The Story reaching number 4 on the Portuguese charts. "The Story" was also used in a montage of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno during the opening and closing of the Ohio State-Penn State football game on ABC on October 25, 2008, and was also used in a 2010 Tracker television commercial that aired on South African television. "The Story" is currently being used on Connecticut Channel 3 during promotions for the local news. Aside from "The Story" (specifically the cover version by Sara Ramirez), two other Carlile songs (this time from her third album titled Give Up the Ghost) were used for two more episodes of the TV series Grey's Anatomy.
Give Up the Ghost was released in 2009. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Rick Rubin, it featured a collaboration with Elton John on the song "Caroline" as well as Amy Ray, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench. In 2010, National Geographic Channel in Latin America chose the song "If There Was No You" from the album as a jingle to promote its series "Grandes Migraciones" (Great Migrations). Also that same year, during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards, Carlile was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Music Artist" for the album.[5]
In 2011, Carlile's album Live at Benaroya Hall with the Seattle Symphony reached number 14 on the Top Rock Albums Chart. Carlile's next and yet-to-be-released album was produced by Trina Shoemaker.[6]
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At age eight, Carlile performed a rendition of the country music song "Tennessee Flat Top Box" with her mother.[7] She began to play the guitar and write songs at fifteen.[8] At sixteen, she began to perform as a backup singer for an Elvis impersonator.[9] According to Carlile she was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder as a teen and struggled with academics. She eventually dropped out of school to pursue a music career.[10]
Carlile performed in local Seattle establishments like The Crocodile, Tractor Tavern, and Paragon with twin brothers Tim and Phil Hanseroth.[11] Carlile began to attract the attention of the music industry after Dave Matthews heard her band perform at the 2003 Sasquatch! Music Festival.
Columbia Records signed Carlile in late 2004 and in 2005 recorded the album Brandi Carlile.
In 2005, Carlile was featured on Rolling Stone's list of "10 Artists to Watch in 2005" list.[12] In 2006, Carlile toured as a headliner and as opening act for Ray LaMontagne, Jonny Lang, Hanson, Indigo Girls, The Fray, Chris Isaak, Tori Amos, and Shawn Colvin.[13]
After two years on tour with her band mates, the Hanseroth brothers, she recorded the album The Story in April 2007.[14] It was produced by T Bone Burnett and included a collaboration with the Indigo Girls on the song "Cannonball". The album was recorded in an 11-day long session with Carlile, the Hanseroth twins, cellist Josh Neumann and drummer Matt Chamberlain to capture the sound of her live performances.[15] She would also contribute vocals to "Last Tears" from Indigo Girls' Despite Our Differences.
In November 2007, Carlile visited England for her first UK gig at the Borderline in London. In February 2008, Carlile performed as special guest to Newton Faulkner on five of his UK tour dates. During March and April 2008 Carlile toured through Australia with Maroon 5 and OneRepublic.[16] In April 2008, she played four dates in the UK and was a guest performer on the BBC2 show, Later... with Jools Holland. Carlile's album The Story was released in the UK on April 21, with lead single "Turpentine" released on April 14, 2008.
Carlile's third studio album, Give Up the Ghost, was released on October 6, 2009. The album debuted at #26 on the Billboard 200[17][18][19] The album was produced by Jason Lader and contains a collaboration with Elton John entitled "Caroline".[18] Carlile has completed her latest studio album, an 18 track album produced by Trina Shoemaker. A release date has not yet been announced.[20]
She also provided backing vocals on the song "Restless Dream," featured on People and Things, the third studio album by American rock band Jack's Mannequin.
Carlile worked with Reverb, a non-profit environmental organization, for her 2007 fall tour, as well as her 2009 Give Up the Ghost tour.[21] She also performed with Ben Taylor in the Eden Presents…Alive in the World concert series for the benefit of Eden Florida, an organization that assists autistic children and adults.[22]
In 2008, Carlile created The Looking Out Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, in order to provide financial support to various causes that she believes in. The Looking Out Foundation has provided grants to Reverb, the American Diabetes Association, and Honor The Earth, as well as numerous other organizations.[23] She also donates one dollar from every concert ticket sale to the foundation.[24]
In an interview in September 2009, Carlile said: "We really work on a community basis and we do everything from helping people pay for funerals to environmental projects. The Looking Out Foundation is a helping hand to any cause we believe in."[25]
In January 2010, Carlile's Looking Out Foundation partnered with the Seattle Police Department, the Indigo Girls, and two local Seattle self-defense studios to fund and support the Fight the Fear Campaign. The campaign was inspired by the assault on a local Seattle woman and her partner in their South Park home and provided free self-defense lessons to women in at-risk communities throughout 2010.[26]
Also in 2010, Carlile contributed the track "The Heartache Can Wait" to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation: More Hope For The Holidays[27] album alongside many other names such as Mike Love of The Beach Boys, Weezer, and Creedence Clearwater Revisited. Proceeds from this album go to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.[27]
Carlile is the owner of a Doberman Pinscher named Bailey[28] and a horse named Sovereign, whom she named after her first guitar.[29]
During a November 14, 2002 interview with The Western Front, the official newspaper of Western Washington University, Carlile identified herself as a lesbian, and stated that she did not think it would affect her record deal. She was quoted as saying: "I think that since it's not a big deal for me, that people subscribe to that."[30] In an October 17, 2009 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Carlile says "I don't have to have a lot of formality around it, the reason why I don't have to wear it on my sleeve and make a spectacle of it, is because there were people before me who paved the way so I wouldn't have to."[31]
Carlile has identical AURYN tattoos on each shoulder, from The Neverending Story, one of her favorite 1980s films.[32]
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Pop 100 | US AC | AUS | NOR | Portugal | |||
| 2005 | "Fall Apart Again" | - | - | - | - | - | - | Brandi Carlile |
| 2006 | "What Can I Say" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2007 | "The Story" | 75 | 92 | 35 | 44 | 4 | 1 | The Story |
| 2007 | "Turpentine" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2009 | "Dreams" | - | - | - | - | - | - | Give Up The Ghost |
| 2010 | "That Year" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2010 | "Dying Day" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
In 2010, Brandi Carlile was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Music Artist" for her album Give Up the Ghost during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.[35] Carlile was the winner of Seattle's City of Music Breakthrough Award for 2010.[36]
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