Angel Olsen | |
---|---|
![]() Olsen performing live at Rockefeller in Oslo, Norway, 2020 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Angelina Marie Carroll [1] [2] |
Born | St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. | January 22, 1987
Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Instruments |
|
Years active | 2009–present |
Labels |
|
Website | angelolsen |
Angel Olsen (born Angelina Marie Carroll; January 22, 1987) is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri [8] [9] who lives in Asheville, North Carolina. [10]
To date, Olsen has released six studio albums: Half Way Home (2012), Burn Your Fire for No Witness (2014), My Woman (2016), All Mirrors (2019), Whole New Mess (2020), and Big Time (2022).
Angel Olsen was born on January 22, 1987, in St. Louis, Missouri. At age three, Olsen was adopted by a foster family that had cared for her since shortly after her birth. The difference in years between her and her parents left an impression. "Because there are so many decades of difference between us, I became more interested in what their childhood was like," she says of her parents, both of whom died in 2021. [11] "I fantasized about what it was like to be young in the ’30s and ’50s, more so than other kids my age." [10] Olsen explained that "my mother just has this capacity for children." [10]
Despite early adolescent aspirations to be a "pop star", her interests later shifted in high school. Olsen became more introverted, regularly attending punk rock and noise music shows at the Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center and the Creepy Crawl as well as Christian rock shows throughout the city. [12] She began learning the piano and guitar and writing her own music. [10] [13] At the age of 16, she joined a local band called Good Fight, self-described as "a meeting of early No Doubt and punk rock." [14] Two years after graduating from Tower Grove Christian Academy, Olsen moved to Chicago. [12]
She befriended country rock singer-songwriter Bonnie “Prince” Billy, who invited her to go on tour as his backing vocalist. [15]
Olsen released her debut EP, Strange Cacti in 2011, [16] and her debut studio album, Half Way Home, in 2012. [17] on Bathetic Records. In addition to her work with Bonnie "Prince" Billy and the Cairo Gang, Olsen has collaborated with a number of other notable figures of American indie rock, including Tim Kinsella of Cap'n Jazz, LeRoy Bach of Wilco and Cass McCombs. [18] Her collaboration with Kinsella and Bach, as well as with Chicago poet Marvin Tate, resulted in the album Tim Kinsella Sings the Songs of Marvin Tate by Leroy Bach Featuring Angel Olsen which the group released on Indianapolis label Joyful Noise Recordings on December 3, 2013. [18]
Olsen signed a recording contract with Jagjaguwar, [19] ahead of her first full-band record, Burn Your Fire for No Witness , [20] which was released on February 17, 2014. [21] [22] The closing track of the album, "Windows", was featured in the final episode in the first season of the Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why in 2017.
Olsen's third studio album, My Woman , was released on September 2, 2016. [23] [24] In a review for Consequence of Sound , critic Ciara Dolan described the album as a "startling record of unimpeachable strength and honesty", [25] while Pitchfork 's Jenn Pelly described it as "her best record yet". [26]
Olsen's fourth studio album, All Mirrors , was released on October 4, 2019, to critical acclaim. Laura Snapes of Pitchfork described the album as "breathtaking", and a "strong wind" that blows in and "leaves you undone", [27] while Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described it as "challenging and intriguing", and Luke Saunders of Happy Mag described it as a change of "theatric transcendency", [28] when compared to her previous releases.
In 2019, British producer Mark Ronson featured Olsen on his fifth studio album Late Night Feelings , which also featured Miley Cyrus and Camila Cabello. [15]
On August 28, 2020, Olsen released her fifth studio album Whole New Mess through Jagjaguwar. [29] The album features tracks from All Mirrors arranged in a more intimate style.
On March 30, 2021, Olsen announced a special edition box set titled Songs of the Lark and Other Far Memories, which contains her previous two studio albums All Mirrors and Whole New Mess alongside demos, re-workings, remixes and covers to close this chapter of her career, released via Jagjaguwar. It was announced with the lead single "It's Every Season [Whole New Mess]" and is due for release on May 7, 2021. [30] In 2020, Olsen released several remixes of popular releases. On April 9, 2020, Olsen released a remix of "All Mirrors" from her studio album All Mirrors Produced by Chromatics' Johnny Jewel. [31] On June 3, 2020, Olsen released a remix of "New Love Cassette" from her studio album All Mirrors produced by Mark Ronson with whom she collaborated with on Ronson's song "True Blue". [32]
In 2020, Olsen worked on a cover of "Mr. Lonely", originally by Bobby Vinton, for the film Kajillionaire directed by Miranda July. Olsen collaborated with film composer Emile Mosseri on the cover which was released on September 16, 2020, and was included in the soundtrack. [33] On May 20, 2021, Olsen released a single with Sharon Van Etten, "Like I Used To", which was produced by John Congleton. Olsen and Van Etten appear in the music video with their hair styled in similar shag haircuts. [34]
On August 20, 2021, Olsen released her fourth extended play, Aisles, consisting of five cover versions of popular songs from the 1980s. [35] Pitchfork writer Evan Rytlewski described it as "an unusual departure for a songwriter who's always staked everything on her conviction". [36]
In 2021 she also received the Libera Awards as Best Folk/Bluegrass Record 2021 for her album Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). [37]
Olsen's sixth studio album, Big Time, was released on June 3, 2022. [11] The album was preceded by the lead single "All the Good Times", and followed by a second single, the title track "Big Time". On April 14, 2023, Olsen released her fifth EP, Forever Means, containing four previously unreleased tracks originally recorded for Big Time.
Pitchfork has likened her album “All Mirrors” to acts such as the Cure, Cocteau Twins and Siouxsie and the Banshees, saying that she has created a dark dream-pop dealing with anxiety. [38] Olsen plays a vintage Gibson S-1 guitar from 1979. [39]
On April 16, 2021, Olsen stated she was gay. [40] In 2022, Olsen revealed that her relationship with partner Beau Thibodeaux had ended, and that she had "dated" long-time friend and musician Meg Duffy for a few months in 2020. [41] [42] In a 2022 interview, Olsen stated she now identifies as pansexual, [42] and in August 2023 celebrated one year with boyfriend and singer-songwriter Maxim Ludwig. Ludwig co-directed the lyric video for Olsen's song "Nothing's Free", [43] additionally serving as a support act on her 2023 North American tour. [44] In 2024, Olsen and Ludwig married.
Studio albums
Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | Libera Awards | Up and Comer Artist Award | Burn Your Fire for No Witness | Won | [45] |
2016 | The Daily Californian Art Awards | Best Non-Billboard Song | “Shut Up Kiss Me” | Nominated | [46] |
2017 | Libera Awards | Album of the Year | My Woman | Won | [47] |
Best Live Act | Herself | Nominated | [48] | ||
Video of the Year | “Shut Up Kiss Me” | Nominated | [48] | ||
Video of the Year (Fan Vote) | Nominated | [48] | |||
AIM Awards | Independent Breakthrough of the Year | Herself | Nominated | [49] | |
2020 | Libera Awards | Album of the Year | All Mirrors | Nominated | [50] |
Best Alternative Rock Album | Nominated | [50] | |||
2021 | Best Folk/Bluegrass Album | Whole New Mess | Nominated | [51] | |
2022 | Video of the Year | "Like I Used To" (with Sharon Van Etten) | Nominated | [52] | |
2023 | Best American Roots Record | Big Time | Pending | [53] | |
Best Sync Usage | "Go Home" | Pending |
Secretly Canadian is an American independent record label based in Bloomington, Indiana, part of the Secretly Group. The Secretly Group includes record labels Dead Oceans and Jagjaguwar as well as a music publisher known as Secretly Publishing, representing artists, writers, film makers, producers, and comedians.
Sharon Katharine Van Etten is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She has released the albums Because I Was in Love (2009), Epic (2010), Tramp (2012), Are We There (2014), Remind Me Tomorrow (2019) and We've Been Going About This All Wrong (2022).
Stephen Lee Bruner, better known by his stage name Thundercat, is an American musician, singer, record producer, and songwriter from Los Angeles. First coming to prominence as a member of crossover thrash band Suicidal Tendencies, he has since released four solo studio albums and is noted for his work with producer Flying Lotus and his appearances on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2016, Thundercat won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Performance for his work on the track "These Walls" from To Pimp a Butterfly. In 2020, Thundercat released his fourth studio album, It Is What It Is, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Progressive R&B Album.
Alejandra Ghersi Rodríguez, known professionally as Arca, is a Venezuelan musician and record producer based in Barcelona, Spain. She initially began releasing music under the name of Nuuro. After attending the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, Ghersi first released the EP Baron Libre (2012) under the name Arca and subsequently released the EPs Stretch 1 and Stretch 2; the latter experimented with hip hop and brought her attention from prominent music publications.
Kamasi Washington is an American jazz saxophonist. He is a founding member of the jazz collective West Coast Get Down.
Courtney Melba Barnett is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris in 2012. International interest came with the release of her EP The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in 2013.
Mitsuki Miyawaki, known professionally by her stage name Mitski, is an American singer and songwriter. She self-released her first two albums, Lush (2012), and Retired from Sad, New Career in Business (2013), while studying studio composition at Purchase College's Conservatory of Music. The albums were originally made as her senior project. Her third studio album, Bury Me at Makeout Creek, was released in 2014 on the label Double Double Whammy.
My Woman is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, released on September 2, 2016 by Jagjaguwar Records. Produced by Olsen and Justin Raisen, the album was accompanied by music videos for the tracks, "Intern", "Shut Up Kiss Me", and "Sister" all co-directed or directed by Olsen.
Moses Sumney is an American singer-songwriter. His self-recorded EP, Mid-City Island, was released in 2014. He released another five-song EP in 2016, titled Lamentations. His first full-length album, Aromanticism, was released in September 2017. His second studio album, Græ, was released in 2020. Sumney has performed as an opening act for James Blake, Solange Knowles, and Sufjan Stevens.
Sophia Regina Allison, better known by her stage name Soccer Mommy, is an American singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee.
The discography of American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen consists of six studio albums, one collaborative album, two compilation albums, five extended plays, and eight singles.
All Mirrors is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, released on October 4, 2019 by Jagjaguwar. Produced by Angel Olsen and John Congleton, the album was preceded by two singles, the title track and "Lark". Both releases were accompanied by music videos directed by Olsen's friend and longtime collaborator Ashley Connors. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics and debuted at No. 52 on the Billboard 200.
The Libera Award for Record of the Year is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "best album released commercially in the United States by an independent label" since 2012.
The Libera Awards are an annual awards ceremony organized by the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM). First hosted in 2012, the awards celebrate the independent music community. The capstone of A2IM's Indie Week, an annual music business conference, the ceremony has been able to be viewed by the public since 2020.
The Libera Award for Best Breakthrough Artist is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "independent artist whose release exceeded a certain total of streams or equivalent sales" since 2012. The category was previously called Up & Comer Award in 2012 to 2014.
The Libera Award for Best Live/Livestream Act is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "best live concert performances by an independent label" since 2013.
The Libera Award for Marketing Genius is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "the most innovative and creative marketing campaign for a project released by an Independent label or artist" since 2012. The category was known as Light Bulb Award in 2012 to 2014.
Whole New Mess is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Angel Olsen, released on August 28, 2020 on Jagjaguwar. Recorded by Olsen and engineer Michael Harris in a converted church, the album features tracks from her 2019 album, All Mirrors, arranged in a more intimate style.
The Libera Award for Best Dance/Electronic Record is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "best dance or electronic music album released commercially in the United States by an independent label" since 2017. The first recipient of the awards was British musician Bonobo for his album Migration.
The Libera Award for Best Hip-Hop/Rap Record is an award presented by the American Association of Independent Music at the annual Libera Award which recognizes "best hip hop or rap album released commercially in the United States by an independent label" since 2017.