Singer/songwriter St. Vincent recently visited The Recording Academy's headquarters in Santa Monica, Calif., to participate in an exclusive GRAMMY.com interview. St. Vincent discussed the Michael Jackson album that fills her earliest musical memories, how Miles Davis influenced her self-titled album and shaping her own singular sound and artistic vision.
"I self-titled this album because I was reading Miles Davis' autobiography," said St. Vincent. "He talked about how the hardest thing for a musician to do was to sound like yourself. And I think that's true. It's one thing to be a craftsman or have a skill set, but it's another thing to be able to really fuse all of your influences and everything you've ever experienced … into one singular sound that feels solely you."
Born Annie Clark in Tulsa, Okla., St. Vincent attended Berklee College of Music after graduating from high school in 2001. After leaving Berklee in 2004, she performed with several groups, including Glenn Branca's orchestra featuring 100 guitars, the Polyphonic Spree and singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens' backing band, before releasing her debut album, 2007's Marry Me. St. Vincent followed with 2009's Actor and 2011's Strange Mercy, the latter of which peaked in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200. In 2012 she teamed with GRAMMY winner David Byrne for Love This Giant, which climbed to No. 23 and featured St. Vincent writing or co-writing 11 of the 12 tracks.
St. Vincent's self-titled album was released on Feb. 25 and peaked at No. 12, her highest-charting album to date. The album features 11 tracks written by St. Vincent, including "Bring Me Your Loves," "Digital Witness" and "Birth In Reverse."
In April St. Vincent performed "Lithium" with the members of Nirvana at the 2014 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in New York. In May she was the musical guest on the season finale of "Saturday Night Live," marking her debut performance on the show.
St. Vincent is currently in the midst of an international tour through February 2015, including select dates opening for GRAMMY winners the Black Keys. She is among the performers at the 2014 Austin City Limits Music Festival, taking place Oct. 3–5 and Oct. 10–12 in Austin, Texas.