Joanna Newsom

Joanna Newsom (born January 18, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Northern California, Newsom was classically trained on the harp in her youth and began her career as a keyboardist in the San Francisco-based indie band the Pleased.

After recording and self-releasing two EPs in 2002, Newsom signed to the independent label Drag City. Her debut album, ''The Milk-Eyed Mender'', was released in 2004 to acclaim and garnered Newsom an underground following. She received wider exposure with ''Ys'' (2006), which reached number 134 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was nominated for a 2007 Shortlist Music Prize. She continued releasing albums with ''Have One on Me'' in 2010 and ''Divers'' in 2015.

Newsom has been noted by critics for her unique musical style, sometimes characterized as progressive folk, and for her harp instrumentation. She has also appeared as an actress with roles in the television series ''Portlandia'' and in the 2014 film ''Inherent Vice''. Provided by Wikipedia