Natalie Merchant

The seven-week tour will be  singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant’s first major outing in seven years. She and her eight-piece band will perform new material as well as favorites from throughout her career.

Over her twenty-eight year career Natalie Merchant has earned a place among America’s most respected recording artists with a reputation for being a gifted songwriter and a captivating performer. After rising to fame at the helm of the popular folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs, she enjoyed even greater success as a solo artist during the mid-’90s. Her self-produced debut album, Tigerlily (1995), sold an astonishing five million copies in the U.S. alone. Her literate, socially conscious songs established her among the preeminent women in pop music.

After the birth of her daughter in 2003, Merchant took an extended break from recording and touring. During this time, Merchant has been researching, writing and recording a collection of songs adapted from the works of various classic and contemporary poets. This project, entitled Leave Your Sleep, is her first studio album in seven years and was released in April.

Leave Your Sleep, out now on Nonesuch Records, has received critical acclaim with Entertainment Weekly praising its "gorgeous arrangements of dreamy chamber folk," The Daily Beast calling it "soothing and electric," and the BBC citing its "sheer ravishing beauty." The dates follow a series of high profile appearances, including "Good Morning America," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and NPR’s "Morning Edition," as well as a performance at the annual TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conference in February.

A prominent social activist, Merchant effectively campaigns in the name of animal rights, domestic violence, and homelessness lending both financial support and raising public awareness.

Related Links

• Natalie Merchant Website