Natalie Merchant

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Birthday:

26 October 1963, Jamestown, New York, USA

Birth Name:

Natalie Anne Merchant

Height:

155 cm

Natalie Anne Merchant was born on October 26, 1963 in Jamestown, New York, USA. The third of four children, Natalie displayed a love for music at an early age, though she never thought of it as a career choice. Natalie originally wanted to become a teacher, but that changed when she met Robert Buck in 1981 and became the lead singer for 10,000 Maniacs. The band release eight albums together: Human Conflict Number Five (1982), The Secrets of the I Ching (1983), The Wishing Chair (1985), In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo (1989), Hope Chest (1990), Our Time in Eden (1992) and MTV Unplugged (1993). Despite their commercial success, Natalie grew apart from the band and announced her departure in 1991, though she stayed until 1993 and was replaced by Mary Ramsey. Determined to do things her way, Natalie wrote and produced the album "Tigerlily" (1995). The album, highlighted by Natalie's beautiful vocals and piano playing, sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Even though Natalie was tearing up the charts, she released "Ophelia" in 1998 and proved that musical integrity is more important than record sales. The album sold well, thanks to the hit "Kind and Generous". Natalie released "Live in Concert" in 1999 and embarked on a folk tour in 2000 to adoring audiences. In November of 2001, Natalie released "Motherland" and has just wrapped up an almost year long tour. Though best known for her music, Natalie has volunteered as a children's arts and crafts teacher at numerous homeless shelters in Harlem, and has donated money for various women's and children's causes.The year 2003 proved to be a great milestone for Natalie -- she turned forty, got married for the first time, and gave birth to her first child all in the same year. In the summer, she and her personal photographer-husband Daniel de la Calle and their daughter Lucia live in a small mountainside village outside Malaga in Southern Spain where her husband is from, winter is spent in Hawaii, and springtime is spent in Japan appreciating the blossoms in Kyoto - Merchant's "favorite city in the world". They spend the rest of the year in Upstate New York where Merchant grew up. Show less «

I've found out how overwhelming the media is and the way it drills things into your head, it's almost like a mind control. If I could contro...Show more »

I've found out how overwhelming the media is and the way it drills things into your head, it's almost like a mind control. If I could control prople's minds, I'd like to put something useful in. Show less «

I don't want to live in a culture of despair. I'd like to live in a culture of hope.

People always tell me that my live shows differ greatly from my albums, which are a little more meticulous and subdued. People come see me l...Show more »

People always tell me that my live shows differ greatly from my albums, which are a little more meticulous and subdued. People come see me live, and I'm cracking jokes and dancing around like a savage, and it's truly unpredictable. There should be a record of that. Show less «

A lot of things are personal experiences disguised as other people's experiences. I can't remove the autobiographical slant from the things ...Show more »

A lot of things are personal experiences disguised as other people's experiences. I can't remove the autobiographical slant from the things I write. You always bring yourself into what you're writing. Show less «

Britain was the first place I ever travelled outside the United States so when I arrived in London at the age of 19, everything was exciting...Show more »

Britain was the first place I ever travelled outside the United States so when I arrived in London at the age of 19, everything was exciting - the sense of history and all these cute guys with British accents. Show less «

One of the things I'm trying to do as an artist is comfort people. Tell them, 'You're not alone.'

Sometimes I've lamented that, because I've written songs that were angry but I could never sound as angry as I felt. But at other times I fe...Show more »

Sometimes I've lamented that, because I've written songs that were angry but I could never sound as angry as I felt. But at other times I feel really happy that I have this voice, because it seems to soothe people and draw them close to me. Children really love my voice. I've been noticing a lot of really young kids at the show - like, 12 and under - lately, and I'm really excited. Because if I were 12 years old, going to a concert, it would be a choice between either the Backstreet Boys or me. I'm just glad it's me. Show less «

The '60s aesthetic has never really appealed to me, the tie-dyed Deadhead running barefoot through the forest on LSD. I don't think that's r...Show more »

The '60s aesthetic has never really appealed to me, the tie-dyed Deadhead running barefoot through the forest on LSD. I don't think that's really me. But I've been a vegetarian for 17 years and I consider myself an environmentalist inasmuch as I can be, considering the job that I have. I prefer living in the countryside rather than the city; I find it more sane and sustaining for myself. - Interview - October 24, 1995 Show less «

It's very odd to think of the places my music can go once it leaves my hands.

I think of myself as a musician and not a celebrity. Celebrity status is something you have to deliberately pursue - I couldn't imagine myse...Show more »

I think of myself as a musician and not a celebrity. Celebrity status is something you have to deliberately pursue - I couldn't imagine myself seeking that. (Interview with The Providence Journal-Bulletin - February 13, 1996.) Show less «