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Michelle Branch Chooses Substance Over Style By Beth Wood
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een-pop queens Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera were awash in commercial success a couple of years ago when Michelle Branch, a modest, guitar-playing singer-songwriter, made a splash of her own at the age of 18. Hailed by fans and the media as the “UnBritney,” she was the antidote to sexed-up young girls with slick songand-dance routines, skimpy costumes and prefab careers. Many hoped that the dressed-down teenager from Arizona signaled a new trend favoring musical talent over smooth moves. “When I first started, it was Britney and Christina and they were doing things a lot different than I was doing,” said Branch. “I never ever would have imagined that there’d be other women like Vanessa (Carlton), Avril (Lavigne) and Norah (Jones). It’s exciting as a music fan and a female to see other women making their own decisions and wearing clothes.” Keeping one’s clothes on can be challenging. In its current issue, Blender magazine ran photos with a short interview and review of Branch. Compared to past pictures, they seemed seductive, but alongside pinup-type shots of Ashanti, Liz Phair and cover girl Jewel, they seemed tame. “That was one of the worst days of my life,” Branch said, recalling the photo shoot at Blender. “The photo editor would say, ‘Wear this short skirt, wear this bra and skirt,’ and I was saying, ‘No, I won’t.’ We were arguing back and forth. I made them go get a T-shirt. “They came back with a M¨otley Crüe shirt and asked me if I’d wear it and I said ‘Yes.’ They left and came back with it all shredded. It was awful, but we (later) ended up with a compromise.” The two main photos display a sultry Branch in a low-cut blouse and a long skirt. “I’m 20 years old. As I grow older, I want to look different than before — not necessarily sexy,” explained Branch, who celebrated her birthday July 2. “I want to look feminine.” Her heroes are musical giants, running the gamut from the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to Joni Mitchell and Cat Stevens. “I listen to Fleetwood Mac, too. Stevie Nicks is the only one who might qualify as a glitzy, sexy chick,” she said with a laugh. “That’s as close as I get to that. “Sex is always going to be a part of music. Sex sells,” she stated. “Being a young woman — oh, I don’t have to say teenager anymore — I’ve been fortunate
that the people around me have said, ‘Let her do her own thing, that’s what she does best.’” That approach has proven successful. Her major-label debut, “Spirit Room,” sold 1.5 million copies. “Game of Love,” a single with Santana, stayed at No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks. (“The only song I’ve sung that I haven’t had a part in writing,” she commented.) Her new “Hotel Paper” CD entered the Billboard 200 at No. 2. Branch named the CD after the notepads on which she scribbled songs while touring to promote her first CD. Has she been using up hotel paper during this tour? “I haven’t written a song since the release of my new record in March, and that is really weird for me,” she said. “I’m all tapped out. I need to focus on touring a bit. The writing will come back naturally. Songs happen when they want to happen.” Opening for the Dixie Chicks on the second half of their tour has been a positive experience for Branch. “At first, people were wondering if it made sense — the Dixie Chicks and Michelle Branch,” she said. “The audiences have been extremely responsive. “Usually when you’re the opening act, people get there for the last few songs, but the places have been packed from the start and they’ve even sung along to some of my songs. So it actually was a natural pairing.”