b. 16 August 1980, Mitford, Pennsylvania, USA. Carlton was brought up in a musical family, with her pianist mother instilling in her daughter a love of classical music. Vanessa began playing piano at an early age, and was soon highly proficient, composing her first piece at the age of eight. She was accepted into the School of America Ballet in New York at the age of 14, but a period of teenage angst saw her beginning to compose songs again. After graduation Carlton stayed in New York where she worked as a waitress to pay the bills. She began performing her own material at open-mic nights, and within a year had signed a recording contract with A&M Records. Her heavily-orchestrated debut album earned comparisons to Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, with the latter a particular influence on "Sway" and an atmospheric reading of the Rolling Stones' "Paint It, Black". Be Not Nobody debuted at number 5 in the US album charts in May 2002. The upbeat first single "A Thousand Miles" had by this point also climbed into the Top 5, with Carlton championed alongside Alicia Keys, Nelly Furtado and Michelle Branch as part of the new breed of musically literate female singer-songwriters.

Listen to Vanessa Carlton at Finetune.

• (2007)  Nolita Fairytale
• (2007)  Heroes & Thieves
• (2004)  Harmonium
• (2002)  Be Not Nobody

• Paint It Black
• Who's To Say
• San Francisco
• Twilight
• Hands On Me

• Avril Lavigne
• John Mayer
• Snow Patrol
• Sarah McLachlan
• Death Cab for Cutie
• Michelle Branch
• Nickelback
• Dashboard Confessional
• Alanis Morissette
• The Fray
• Keane
• Rihanna
• Imogen Heap
• Jimmy Eat World
• Fergie
• Coldplay
• Kelly Clarkson
• Gwen Stefani
• The Cranberries
• Phantom Planet

• tehMikichan
• lobstermuffin
• deedy07
• inicuam
• r1pp1n
• vskdavidzl
• ohhdangletsbangx3
• honeybeebzz
• imoen246
• jaketeen87
• niknik
• dance_dance_dani
• steadfast
• HelloKit
• beyondsane
• DAHAPPYCHAPPIE
• indian_bttrfly06
• beandip654
• jwindham
• Jemoas78
• Avinash
• myLOVE_sarahh
• AnJumima
• j1jensen
• 2baspirit
• PedroMarques
• bohmanart
• Taradesign99
• andreaminer
• jial4y
• glamarous143
• alyssaandgrace
• nat
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• JellyRoll92
• jessecullen3
• Sigil
• battgurl303
• maddawg10
• penny_obannon
• mia8
• sumgurl

• munkii23 on 2009-01-12 07:19:16.413:
  she is the only artist to give me goose bumps when she sings she is the best singer song writer i will ever know.
• 126hotie on 2008-03-08 14:54:27.877:
  i love the song a thousand miles
• 5797 on 2008-02-09 08:42:47.230:
  A THOUSAND MILES IS THE GREATEST SONG BY HER.
• dawnm on 2008-02-02 15:51:54.437:
  OMG I love the song a thousand miles!!!
• sumgurl on 2007-06-19 20:25:10.280:
  and the song annie
• sumgurl on 2007-06-05 16:37:18.217:
  i love the song whos to say and san francisco
• potita on 2007-04-27 21:20:43.377:
  i love the song a thousand miles
• alyssaandgrace on 2007-04-14 22:47:20.083:
  wonderful. full of love