Vanessa Carlton

The '80s and '90s have distinct identities when it comes to pop music. The 80s brought you The Smiths, Depeche Mode, Guns 'n Roses and goofy pop like A-ha. The '90s, meanwhile, brought us grunge like Nirvana and bubble-gum pop like Britney Spears, along with the raise of mainstream rap and hip-hop like Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. So what did the 2000s do for us? Amy Winehouse? Coldplay? Or maybe it was the piano-playing pop singer-songwriting stylings of Vanessa Carlton? Originally interested in dance before jumping into the sea of singer-songwriter stardom, Carlton attended the School of American Ballet, but while she was there discovered her true calling was singing as she performed in NYC bars and clubs. Shortly after school, Carlton met a few songwriters and producers and eventually recorded her first record Be Not Nobody with the beloved track and debut single “A Thousand Miles,” earning her several Grammy nominations and launching her career through the 2000s.