Aimee Mann

 American singer-songwriter Aimee Elizabeth Mann was born September 8, 1960. She has released more than 12 albums, both on her own and with other musicians over the span of her career. She is renowned for her humorous and poetic lyrics on dark subjects. Her work with the producer Jon Brion in the 1990s was influential to American alternative music. Mann was born in Richmond, Virginia, and studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. In the 80s, following performing with the Young Snakes and Ministry, she founded the band called 'Til Tuesday and also wrote their top-ten single "Voices Carry" (1985). Mann was able to launch an independent career, and 'Til Tuesday was disbanded after three albums. Mann released her first solo album, Whatever, in 1993 and followed it up with I'm With Stupid in 1995. They received a positive reception, but low sales, and placed Mann in conflict with her record company. Mann achieved wider recognition when she recorded the soundtrack to the Paul Thomas Anderson film Magnolia (1999) which earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal. After Mann's record company Geffen was unable to release her third album, Bachelor No. Mann released it on her own label, SuperEgo Records in 2000. It was a strong seller and received acclaim from critics. Mann became a career artist that could work without the limitations of the major labels.