Charlotte Martin
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Ann Martin is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

, who performs predominantly on the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

. She has written several studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...

 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

s, two of which have received mainstream commercial releases, 2004's On Your Shore
On Your Shore
On Your Shore is Charlotte Martin's first full-length release on a major label.-Track listing:All songs written by Charlotte Martin, except the bonus track "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones.#"On Your Shore"#"Limits of Our Love"#"Your Armor"...

and 2006's Stromata
Stromata (album)
Stromata is Charlotte Martin's follow up to On Your Shore and her second full-length release, on her own label.The title is derived from "The connective tissue framework of an organ, gland, or other structure, as distinguished from the tissues performing the special function of the organ or...

. In 2009 she released an instrumental piano album titled Piano Trees before releasing her new studio album Dancing on Needles on February 1, 2011.

Biography

Martin grew up in Charleston
Charleston, Illinois
Charleston is a city in and the county seat of Coles County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,838 as of the 2010 census. The city is home to Eastern Illinois University and has close ties with its neighbor Mattoon, Illinois...

, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...

. She won the Miss Illinois Teen USA
Miss Illinois Teen USA
The Miss Illinois Teen USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Illinois in the Miss Teen USA pageant....

 1994 title on June 26, 1994 and went on to represent in the Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA
Miss Teen USA is a beauty pageant run by the Miss Universe Organization for girls aged 14–19. The reigning titleholder is Danielle Doty of Texas....

 pageant broadcast live from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....

 on August 16. Martin graduated from Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University
Eastern Illinois University is a state university located in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradually expanded into a comprehensive university with a...

 (EIU) in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in vocal performance, majoring in opera. In 1999, Charlotte moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. On September 30, 2005, she married musician/producer Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews
Ken Andrews is an American musician and producer, based out of Los Angeles, California.Andrews was born in Seattle, Washington, and attended film school in Los Angeles before his band Failure received a record deal from Slash Records.He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, guitarist, and...

. 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 latest album "Dancing on Needles".

Martin's father, Joseph Martin, is a music professor at EIU. Her mother, Becky Martin, is an administrator of a program for developmentally disabled adults.

Pre-On Your Shore

Prior to the release of Martin's major-label debut On Your Shore
On Your Shore
On Your Shore is Charlotte Martin's first full-length release on a major label.-Track listing:All songs written by Charlotte Martin, except the bonus track "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones.#"On Your Shore"#"Limits of Our Love"#"Your Armor"...

, she had composed two full-length albums and two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

s. 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
Juvenilia
Juvenilia is a term applied to literary, musical or artistic works produced by an author during his or her youth. The term often has a retrospective sense. For example, written juvenilia, if published at all, usually appear some time after the author has become well-known for later works.The term...

, 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
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...

 for this record are now owned by Martin's former record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...

.

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 Your Shore

On August 10, 2004, On Your Shore
On Your Shore
On Your Shore is Charlotte Martin's first full-length release on a major label.-Track listing:All songs written by Charlotte Martin, except the bonus track "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones.#"On Your Shore"#"Limits of Our Love"#"Your Armor"...

, 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
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...

, The Cardigans
The Cardigans
The Cardigans are a Swedish rock band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.Their debut album Emmerdale gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan. It was not until their second album Life that an international reputation was secured...

, and Katy Rose
Katy Rose
Katy Rose is an American singer, songwriter, producer, musician and actress. Her music styles vary from indie rock, electro pop, grunge, pop, lounge music and techno....

 in the summer of 2004.

Darkest Hour and Veins

Whilst touring, two EPs were released in preparation for Martin's second album Stromata
Stromata (album)
Stromata is Charlotte Martin's follow up to On Your Shore and her second full-length release, on her own label.The title is derived from "The connective tissue framework of an organ, gland, or other structure, as distinguished from the tissues performing the special function of the organ or...

, 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
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...

'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
Chris Evans (actor)
Christopher Robert "Chris" Evans is an American actor. He played Cary Baston on the television series Opposite Sex, and transitioned to a film career, starring in several hits, including Not Another Teen Movie , Fierce People , Fantastic Four, sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer , and...

 / Jessica Biel
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Biel is an American actress, model, and occasional singer. Biel is known for her television role as Mary Camden in the long-running family-drama series 7th Heaven...

 movie London
London (2005 film)
London is a 2006 romantic drama film centering on a Manhattan party. The movie is directed and written by Hunter Richards, his first. It stars Jessica Biel, Chris Evans, Jason Statham, Joy Bryant, and Lina Esco.-Plot:...

.

Stromata

On September 12, 2006, Martin's second full length album on a major label, Stromata, was released worldwide on her husbands' (Ken Andrews) own label Dinosaur Fight Records. Two digital singles were released on iTunes and other outlets in Summer 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
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as 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
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...

's 2007 album Ripe. She co-wrote and contributed vocals to the song "Feed the Monster" for BT
BT (musician)
Brian Wayne Transeau is a classically trained and Grammy-nominated American music producer, composer, audio technician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter better known by his stage name, BT. He is an artist in the electronic genre...

's forthcoming album.

Orphans and Piano Trees

On September 2, 2008, Martin confirmed the release of a new studio EP, Orphans
Orphans (EP)
Orphans is Charlotte Martin's 2008 release composed of b-sides and other songs written for her previous releases, but were left off the final cuts...

. 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 11 November 2008 and is available on American iTunes.

In 2009, she released the instrumental album Piano Trees, a collection of improvised piano songs.

Dancing On Needles

On February 1, 2011, Martin released her fourth album, Dancing on Needles. 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. "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".

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.

Discography

A complete list of Martin's discography is available on her official site.

Albums

  • Mystery, Magic & Seeds (1998)
  • One Girl Army (2001)
  • On Your Shore
    On Your Shore
    On Your Shore is Charlotte Martin's first full-length release on a major label.-Track listing:All songs written by Charlotte Martin, except the bonus track "Wild Horses" by The Rolling Stones.#"On Your Shore"#"Limits of Our Love"#"Your Armor"...

    (2004)
  • Stromata
    Stromata (album)
    Stromata is Charlotte Martin's follow up to On Your Shore and her second full-length release, on her own label.The title is derived from "The connective tissue framework of an organ, gland, or other structure, as distinguished from the tissues performing the special function of the organ or...

    (2006)
  • Reproductions
    Reproductions
    Reproductions is a studio album of cover versions by Charlotte Martin.-Track listing:# "Angel" # "Obstacle 1" # "Constant Craving" Reproductions is a studio album of cover versions by Charlotte Martin.-Track listing:# "Angel" (Massive Attack)# "Obstacle 1" (Interpol)# "Constant Craving"...

    (2007)
  • Piano Trees (2009)
  • Dancing on Needles (2011)

Singles

Year Song
2003 "Your Armor"
2004 "Every Time It Rains"
2006 "Stromata"
2007 "Keep Me in Your Pocket"
"Christmas Is Near"
"Sweet Things
Sweet Things (song)
"Sweet Things" is a song recorded by Tiësto with vocals from Charlotte Martin in 2007 and released in December 2007. This song is off the album Elements of Life....

"
2011 "Volcano"

EPs

  • One Girl Army (2002)
  • Test-Drive Songs (2002)
  • In Parentheses (2003)
  • Darkest Hour (2005)
  • Veins (2005)
  • Stromata (EP version) (2006)
  • Rarities #1-#6 (2006–2009)
  • Orphans (2008)

DVDs

  • Something Like a DVD (2005, re-released in 2007 as Dual DVD/CD set with B-Sides from On Your Shore and Stromata.)

Additional credits

  • Martin's song "Beautiful Life" from On Your Shore appears in the Maxis
    Maxis
    Maxis is an American company founded as an independent video game developer in 1987. It is currently a subsidiary of Electronic Arts . Maxis is the creator of one of the best-selling computer games of all time, The Sims and its first sequel, The Sims 2...

     computer game The Sims 2: University
    The Sims 2: University
    The Sims 2: University is the first expansion pack for the strategic life simulation computer game The Sims 2 developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It was released on March 1, 2005 to mixed reception. The expansion pack adds a new aging period to Sims which is Young Adult...

    (The Sims 2
    The Sims 2
    The Sims 2 is a strategic life simulation computer game developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. It is the sequel to the best-selling computer game, The Sims, which debuted on February 4, 2000. It was first released on September 14, 2004 for Microsoft Windows. A port to Apple Mac OS X...

     expansion pack), translated into the game's fictional language of Simlish
    Simlish
    Simlish is a fictional language featured in EA Games' Sim series of games. It debuted in SimCopter, and has been especially prominent in The Sims, The Sims 2 and The Sims 3. The Sims development team created the unique Simlish language by experimenting with fractured Ukrainian, French, Latin,...

    . "Keep Me In Your Pocket" from Stromata appears in the same fashion in The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
    The Sims 2: Bon Voyage
    The Sims 2: Bon Voyage is the sixth expansion pack released in The Sims 2 series of PC games. It was released on September 4, 2007 in North America and September 6, 2007 in Europe for the Microsoft Windows Operating System. For the Mac OS X Operating System, it was released on December 17, 2007 by...

    .
  • Martin co-wrote and recorded "Glass Breaker" with The Crystal Method
    The Crystal Method
    The Crystal Method is an American electronic music duo that was created in Los Angeles, California by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. The Crystal Method's music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video games, and advertisements. The most prominent is the US television...

    . The song appears on the London Movie Soundtrack.
  • Martin has released six "rarity" EPs, called the Rarities series, available for purchase only at live shows. These contain previously unreleased or hard-to-find material, and sparked something of a scavenger hunt
    Scavenger hunt
    A scavenger hunt is a game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, using which the participants — individuals or teams — seek to gather all items on the list — usually without purchasing them — or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified...

     among fans due to their limited availability. One of the songs featured, "Cool Killer," is home-recorded and features Martin scolding her dog Hugo in the background.
  • Martin's voice is featured on the Mae
    Mae
    Mae was an American alternative/indie band that formed in Norfolk, Virginia in 2001. The band's name is an acronym for "Multi-sensory Aesthetic Experience," based on a course taken by drummer Jacob Marshall while a student at Old Dominion University....

     album The Everglow
    The Everglow
    The Everglow is the second full-length studio album released by American alternative/indie band Mae. The album is designed as a storybook, including illustrations for each song inside the booklet. With its story-like nature, The Everglow is considered a concept album. "Prologue" and "Epilogue"...

    , in the tracks "Prologue" and "Epilogue."
  • Martin is the vocalist/pianist and a co-writer in the song "Greater Lights" on the soundtrack of the video game Advent Rising
    Advent Rising
    Advent Rising is a third-person, science fiction action-adventure video game. It was developed by GlyphX Games and published by Majesco. The game was released on May 31, 2005 for Xbox and on August 9, 2005 for Microsoft Windows. The story of this game was created by Donald Mustard, and featured a...

    .
  • Martin recorded "Bring On the Day" for the film Sweet Home Alabama
    Sweet Home Alabama (film)
    Sweet Home Alabama is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Andy Tennant and stars Reese Witherspoon, Josh Lucas, and Patrick Dempsey. The film was released on September 27, 2002.-Plot:...

    starring Reese Witherspoon
    Reese Witherspoon
    Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon , better known as Reese Witherspoon, is an American actress and film producer. Witherspoon landed her first feature role as the female lead in the film The Man in the Moon in 1991; later that year she made her television acting debut, in the cable movie Wildflower...

     in 2002, and the song is featured in the opening sequence of the movie. The song can also be found on the soundtrack to the film.
  • Martin is credited with additional vocals on the song "Inhuman" by Thousand Foot Krutch
    Thousand Foot Krutch
    Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian Christian rock band formed in 1995. They have released five major studio albums: Set It Off , Phenomenon , The Art of Breaking , The Flame In All of Us , and Welcome to the Masquerade . They also have one live album, Live at the Masquerade...

    , from their album The Flame in All of Us
    The Flame in All of Us
    The Flame in All Of Us is the fourth studio album by Christian rock band Thousand Foot Krutch; the album was released on September 18, 2007 through Tooth & Nail Records. It entered the charts at No. 58 on the Billboard 200. The band recorded the album with producer Ken Andrews in Los Angeles in...

    .
  • Martin's songs "Veins" (from the Veins EP) and "The Dance" (from Stromata) were used during the third and fourth seasons of the hit television show So You Think You Can Dance
    So You Think You Can Dance (U.S. TV series)
    So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and reality show that airs on Fox in the United States.The series first premiered on July 20, 2005, and was created by American Idol producers Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions...

    .
  • Martin co-wrote and played piano for the song "Is This How Love's Supposed to Feel" on the Ben Lee
    Ben Lee
    Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...

     album Ripe
    Ripe
    Ripe may refer to:* Ripening, especially of fruit* Ripeness in viticulture, how the term "ripe" is used in viticulture and winemaking* RIPE, Réseaux IP Européens* RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry for Europe* Ripeness, a term in law...

    .
  • Martin co-wrote and sang 'Sweet Things
    Sweet Things (song)
    "Sweet Things" is a song recorded by Tiësto with vocals from Charlotte Martin in 2007 and released in December 2007. This song is off the album Elements of Life....

    " on the 2007 "Tiesto" album "Elements of Life
    Elements of Life
    Note: In some territories , track 12 is "He's A Pirate" , a remix of the theme music of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl also featured on the CD single, and on initial retail shipments of Best Buy's exclusive version of the movie soundtrack...

    ".

External links

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