Ani Difranco Biography

Ani DiFranco, who rejects the major label system, has mentioned her fierce independence (and the resulting creative freedom) in song several times, including in "The Million You Never Made" (Not a Pretty Girl), which discusses the act of turning down a lucrative contract, and "The Next Big Thing" (Not So Soft), which describes an imagined meeting with a label head-hunter who evaluates the sibling's talent. Prince discussed the consequences of Ani's independence after recording with her in 1999. “We jammed for four hours and she danced the entire time,” says the musician. We had to stop since she had exhausted us. After spending time with her, it became clear why she is the way she is: she has never had a ceiling over her head.” Her poems are lyrical and poetic, frequently autobiographical and politically charged. The songs "Trickle Down" and "To The Teeth" talk about racism and gentrification, "To The Teeth" on the need for gun control, and "In or Out" about society's traditional sexuality categories. Her track "Play God," released in 2016, has become a rallying cry for reproductive rights. “The world needs more revolutionaries like Ani DiFranco: sardonic, seductive, as dedicated to beauty and joy as revolution,” Rolling Stone stated in 2012. She's played at innumerable benefit concerts, provided songs to several charity albums, and devoted her time and energy to a variety of progressive causes throughout the years. Gloria Steinem, Jesse Jackson, and Dennis Kucinich have all taught her and shown her the way. In 2004, she marched alongside Margaret Cho, Janeane Garofalo, Whoopi Goldberg, and others in the front row of the March for Women's Lives, subsequently performing on the main stage. With her "Vote Dammit" tours, she has pounded the drum for voter registration and turnout in several presidential election years, most recently in 2016. She now serves on the board of Roots of Music in New Orleans, an organization that offers at-risk kids assistance and musical instruction, as well as the creative council of EMILY's List, an organization that works to elect pro-choice Democratic women to office. She has been an inspiration for female artists and businesses for over two decades as a musician and social activist. Her music and advocacy have landed her on the covers of SPIN, Ms., Relix, High Times, and a slew of other publications. She is a role model for powerful women who grew up in the 1990s, and she continues to attract new followers. Ani is revered by wordsmiths of all eras, from Alice Walker to Amy Schumer. She paved the way for self-directed artist careers, and musicians ranging from Prince to Bon Iver have credited her with inspiring them to release their own music outside of the big label system. Ani has received several accolades and prizes, including the Grammy Award for Best Album Package (Evolve), the National Organization for Women's Woman of Courage Award, the Gay/Lesbian American Music Award for Female Artist of the Year, and the Woody Guthrie Award. She was awarded the coveted Artistic Achievement Award at the 2013 Winnipeg Folk Festival, as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Winnipeg. In 2017, she was honored by A2IM (a nonprofit trade association that promotes independent record companies) with a Lifetime Achievement Award and A Global Friendship with the Outstanding Achievement for Global Activism Award. Her transcendent new album, Revolutionary Love, marks the latest proof of one of her most powerful gifts as an artist: a rare ability to give voice to our deepest frustrations and tensions, on both a personal and political level. It's her first studio effort since the release of No Walls and the Recurring Dream (DiFranco's widely praised 2019 memoir), and it's her first studio effort since the release of No Walls and the Recurring Dream. “As I began to emerge from years of coping with marital issues, I noticed that my whole nation was experiencing the same thing: a complete breakdown of communication and a lack of empathy and connection. But what do you do when you've done something that feels unforgivable? So what if you can't send each other off the earth or change the past?” Revolutionary Love, the 22nd studio album in an illustrious career, began to take form in the last weeks before the Covid 19 epidemic disrupted everyone's plans. When Di Franco returned to New Orleans in February 2020 after a West Coast tour with a new batch of songs composed on the road, she found herself without a way to record them and trapped in the creative abyss of the communal desire for social seclusion. She says, "And then I decided I wanted to start bringing out this new song by the autumn... before the election." “I felt firm that I needed a horse to ride in order to encourage people to vote—to inspire them to believe in democracy, in each other, and in themselves.” Collective Speakers has partnered with Difranco to make him available.

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