Beth Orton

English singer/songwriter Beth Orton merges acoustic folk with electronic beats and a luminous voice to create a futuristic twist on traditional singer/songwriter pop. Born in 1970 in Norfolk, Orton got her start in the duo Spill, alongside ambient folk artist William Orbit. After a limited-release debut in 1993, she broke through internationally thanks to an appearance on The Chemical Brothers’ 1995 album, Exit Planet Dust, and her own 1996 LP, Trailer Park, which pioneered a synth-folk sound that still reverberates today. Her 1999 followup, Central Reservation, and the single “Stolen Car,” with a video directed by indie auteur Hal Hartley, gave her even more cool-kid cachet. She had her first UK Top 10 with her 2002 album, Daybreaker, boosted by “Concrete Sky” with an assist from Johnny Marr. Orton has since collaborated with a rotating cast of producers, including Orbit, Jim O’Rourke on 2006’s Comfort of Strangers, and Tucker Martine on 2012's Sugaring Season. She has continued to forge her own path, releasing a seventh studio album, 2022's Weather Alive, that layers her electronic sounds with a jazz ensemble.