The backlash against manufactured pop and the emergence of a new bred of talented young musicians from the US has been a marked trend in the past year.
At the head of this queue is 17-year-old singer/songwriter Michelle Branch who saw her debut single 'Everywhere' propel her to global stardom in a matter of months.
A firm favourite already in the UK, Branch was one of the acts to perform in front of 100,000 fans at Party In The Park and is about to release her second single 'All You Wanted' (July 22) - watch the video here
Click on the link at the top of the page to watch a video interview with Michelle - that includes exclusive acoustic footage - or read the quotes below:
On her age and comparisons:
"When people hear I'm 17 and a musician they automatically want to compare me to other acts that are out there and my age. And I don't blame them. The truth is they do the whole 'singing and dancing' thing and I could never do that. If you saw me dance you'd want to return the record."
On growing up:
"I started singing when I was three years old and music ruled part of my life when I was growing up. I was always felt happiest when I was listening to music or singing. When I turned 14 I got it in my head that I wanted to play guitar. I mentioned it to my uncle and he had a couple of guitars that he wasn't using. He said 'you can buy one'. I locked myself in my room with a chord book and from then on I was totally digging the fact that I could write songs and effect people the way music had inspired me."
On her influences:
"I love rock n'roll. I'm a huge fan of Robert Plant's voice and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. Even though I don't like the drums I could listen to John Bonham's drumming for days. Lennon and McCartney were amazing songwriters. They had a way of making you feel what their lyrics said and I don't think anyone's been able to duplicate that. I live for that type of music and I hope you hear some of that in mine."
For more info on Michelle check out her official site
Branch, Michelle artist area
Branch, Michelle � Interview
