Fiona Apple

A pop prodigy turned avant-pop visionary, Fiona Apple (born Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart in New York in 1977) has never been afraid to speak—or sing—her mind. From the release of her 1996 debut, Tidal, the pianist and vocalist was hailed as a songwriter who possessed an almost pathological honesty, and while her artistic output is relatively scant, each one of her releases has made a massive impact. Apple’s second album, 1999’s When The Pawn…, doubled down on Tidal’s intensity and jazz leanings; its 2005 follow-up, Extraordinary Machine, escaped label limbo to become a singer-songwriter touchstone. The Idler Wheel…, released in 2012, offered more stripped-down sonics as it combined brutal frankness with acid wit, while 2020’s Fetch The Bolt Cutters felt truly unbound, with Apple “playing” parts of her Los Angeles home as percussion as she crafted labyrinthine yet raw statements on 21st-century womanhood.