Charlotte Martin | |
|---|---|
 Martin performing in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | October 31, 1976 Charleston, Illinois, US |
| Genres | Alternative rock, piano rock, pop rock, experimental |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, fender rhodes, synthesizers, drum machine |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | RCA Records Dinosaur Fight Records Echo Field Recordings Test-Drive Records |
| Website | charlottemartin |
Charlotte Ann Martin (born October 31, 1976) is an American singer-songwriter and voice coach, who performs predominantly on the piano. She has written several studio albums, two of which have received mainstream commercial releases, 2004's On Your Shore and 2006's Stromata. In 2009, she released an instrumental piano album titled Piano Trees before releasing her new studio album Dancing On Needles on February 1, 2011.[1] On February 25, 2014, she released a new studio album, Water Breaks Stone.
Martin grew up in Charleston, Illinois. She won the Miss Illinois Teen USA 1994 title on June 26, 1994, and went on to represent in the Miss Teen USA pageant broadcast live from Biloxi, Mississippi, on August 16.[2] Martin graduated from Eastern Illinois University (EIU) in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance,[3][4] majoring in opera.[5] In 1999, Charlotte moved to Los Angeles. On September 30, 2005, she married musician/producer Ken Andrews. Their first child, Ronen Joseph Andrews, was born on May 4, 2008; their second, Stella Jean Andrews, was born on March 9, 2011.
Following the birth of Ronen, Martin suffered with the nerve disorder intercostal neuralgia that left her incapacitated for the better part of a year, causing lengthy delays to the writing and recording process of her album Dancing on Needles.[1]
On August 11, 2017, Martin filed for divorce from Andrews.[6]
Martin's father, Joseph Martin, is a music professor at Eastern Illinois University.[7] Her mother, Becky Martin, is an administrator of a program for developmentally disabled adults.
Prior to the release of Martin's major-label debut On Your Shore, she had composed two full-length albums and two EPs. Her first foray into songwriting came in the form of Mystery, Magic & Seeds, an album Martin wrote as a result of a friend's death, which she now considers juvenilia, but is available for download from archive.org. Her second album, One Girl Army, remained unreleased, though an EP of the same name containing a few selections from the full-length album was released independently, and Martin still performs some of its content live. The masters for this record are now owned by Martin's former record label, RCA Records.
In 2002, Martin independently released a limited edition EP containing eight tracks called Test-Drive Songs, which is now out of print but still available for download at digital outlets including Martin's official site.
In 2003, Martin released another EP entitled In Parentheses on RCA. It contained four tracks, one of which ("Your Armor") would later be included (with an added string arrangement) on On Your Shore. A video for "Your Armor" was released later in the year.
On August 10, 2004, On Your Shore, Charlotte Martin's first full-length album on a major label, RCA, was released. A video for the single, "Every Time It Rains", was also released.
To help promote the album, Martin toured on the "Chicks with Attitude" tour with Liz Phair, The Cardigans, and Katy Rose in the summer of 2004.
Whilst touring, two EPs were released in preparation for Martin's second album Stromata, showcasing Charlotte's darker and more experimental sound. The first EP, Darkest Hour was available exclusively on her summer tour 2005 and included 6 tracks (including a cover of Depeche Mode's "Judas" and two remixes). The second EP, Veins, was pre-released on her 2005 fall tour and then released online in the November of that year.
On May 1, 2006, a DVD of live recordings, titled Something Like a DVD, was released via Musictoday.
Martin co-wrote and contributed vocals to "Glass Breaker", a song by The Crystal Method, released on the soundtrack for the Chris Evans/Jessica Biel movie London.
On September 12, 2006, Martin's second full-length album on a major label, Stromata, was released worldwide on her husband's (Ken Andrews) own label Dinosaur Fight Records. Two digital singles were released on iTunes and other outlets in the summer of 2006, containing four b-sides from the album. A third digital single was released early in 2007, also available on iTunes. A video for the single "Stromata" was released online and is available for purchase on online outlets. Two bonus tracks were also made exclusively available to iTunes, "Habit" and a remix of the title track. The album showcased a darker sound, with keyboards and other electronic instruments being predominant in the mix (as opposed to the more acoustic piano-based feel of previous records).
On May 1, 2007, Something Like a DVD was re-released as a DVD/CD dual package, including exclusive B-sides to Stromata and backstage footage surrounding the making of On Your Shore. The DVD is described as being the bridging piece between On Your Shore and Stromata by Martin's publicity releases.
Martin co-wrote and contributed vocals to the song "Sweet Things" on DJ Tiësto's 2007 album Elements of Life. She co-wrote and contributed vocals and piano to the song "Is This How Love's Supposed to Feel" on Ben Lee's 2007 album Ripe. She co-wrote and contributed vocals to the song "Feed the Monster" for BT. The original song was never released, but the remix by Blue Stahli was.
On September 2, 2008, Martin confirmed the release of a new studio EP, Orphans. A video blog was posted several days later on September 8, revealing more details on the project, which contains B-sides and other material left off On Your Shore and Stromata (hence the EP name Orphans). Most of the tracks are re-recorded or remastered, such as the Stromata B-side "Habit" and two tracks from her EP Test Drive Songs ("Many Rivers" and "Raven"). "Galaxies" and "Is This Called Desire" are two previously unheard tracks featured on the EP, along with old live fan favorite "The Stalker Song" (aka "I'm Normal, Please Date Me") appearing for the first time in studio form.
In a first for Martin, a contest was held for her fans to design the cover art for the EP. Orphans was released on November 11, 2008, and is available on iTunes in the United States.
In 2009, she released the instrumental album Piano Trees, a collection of improvised piano songs.
On February 1, 2011, Martin released her fourth album, Dancing on Needles.[8] Produced by Ken Andrews (who had previously worked with Pete Yorn and Beck), the rapturous album traces Martin's heartbreaking struggle with intercostal neuralgia, a nerve disorder that left her incapacitated for much of the past year.[1] "It was the most difficult period of my life," Martin stated. "The pain was excruciating. I saw countless doctors, was misdiagnosed countless times and prescribed countless medications. Nothing seemed to help. Forget about not being able to work; getting out of bed was a major undertaking. Worst of all, I couldn’t nurse, or even lift, my baby. As a new mother, that was devastating".[1]
The album was released on Martin's Test-Drive Records and was preceded by the single "Volcano". Martin's official website announced the video for the single, available exclusively on YouTube on the same day the album was released digitally.[8]
On February 25, 2014, Charlotte Martin released Water Breaks Stone. Shortly before announcing its release, Martin made a Facebook post asking her followers to guess the name of the album by unscrambling a set of letters.
On March 27, 2017, Charlotte Martin announced that she would no longer be touring: "At this point in my life, it’s not possible for me to mount any long tours or even short ones. I’ve chosen to be a Mommy and that’s my first priority. I still plan to be involved in music though and will do one-offs here and there if the timing’s right... [T]his is right for me and my family." She held a farewell tour between March and May, and released Rapture on May 12, 2017.
On October 5, 2018, Charlotte Martin released the second of her instrumental piano albums (after Piano Trees), entitled Clear Blue Sky. The following year, in 2019, two more albums in a similar vein were released: Monotonous Night on March 8 and Dawn on December 27.
A complete list of Martin's discography is available on her official site.
| Year | Song |
|---|---|
| 2003 | "Your Armor" |
| 2004 | "Every Time It Rains" |
| 2006 | "Stromata" |
| 2007 | "Keep Me in Your Pocket" |
| "Christmas Is Near" | |
| "Sweet Things" | |
| 2011 | "Volcano" |
| 2017 | "Rapture" |
