Del.icio.usAni DiFranco
Fact Sheet
| Occupation | Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist |
| Musical genre: | Alternative, Rock |
| Birthday | 23 September 1970 (39) |
| Sign | Libra |
Ani's music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, but since her earlier albums she has developed her reach across genres, having collaborated with a wide range of artists including the pop musician Prince, the folk musician Utah Phillips and rapper Corey Parker. In various songs and albums, she has brought in the use of a variety of instruments as well as styles -- from brass, notably in 1998's Little Plastic Castle, and strings, particularly noticeable on the live album Living In Clip. Her song writing is also notable for her lyrics which nearly always carry heart-felt emotion, often feature clever poetry, and are frequently very witty. In her songs she has commented on a wide range of political and social issues.
DiFranco is a prolific songwriter, having produced three studio albums of new material and one remix album just in 1999 (see list below). She has released at least one album every year since 1990, except in 2000 (since she released three albums in 1999 and a double album in 2001.)
Educated Guess, her newest album, was released on January 20, 2004. According to the Righteous Babe website, "not since the release of her second album back in 1991 has [Ani] been quite as much a solo act as she is on [Educated Guess]." The only other person involved in the record was Greg Calbi, who mastered it; Ani DiFranco did all the performance and recording herself at home, and was involved in much of the artwork and design for the packaging.
Biography
Born in Buffalo, New York, Ani started playing gigs at the age of nine and built her career from there.In 1989, at the age of eighteen, Ani started her own record company, Righteous Babe Records, with just $50, and recorded Ani DiFranco, issued in the winter of 1990. Later on she relocated to New York City and toured vigorously.
She is openly bisexual and, in 1998, married sound engineer Andrew Gilchrist. They have since separated but remain friends. Some of Ani's more recent songs speak of the idea in general of having to choose between one life and another.