Pop singer Michelle Branch has spoken out about being constantly pitted against peers Avril Lavigne and Vanessa Carlton during her early career in the 2000s, calling the experience unpleasant. The 43-year-old musician reflected on her rise to fame in an exclusive interview with American entertainment news outlet E! News ahead of her upcoming release.
Branch explained that female artists faced intense media comparisons when she broke into the music industry, creating an atmosphere that felt like a constant rivalry. However, she noted that the music industry landscape has since shifted toward greater support and unity among female performers.
Branch recalled how media coverage and industry discussions frequently grouped the female soloists together when she first achieved commercial success. "The difference, I think, between being a female artist when I was out and now, fortunately, is everyone just wanted to pit us against each other back then," Branch said. "I don't know what it was, but it always felt like Michelle versus Vanessa Carlton versus Avril Lavigne."
Branch rose to mainstream prominence in the early 2000s after releasing her major-label debut album, establishing herself alongside Lavigne and Carlton as a defining young singer-songwriter of the era. Lavigne gained international fame during the same period with her pop-punk tracks, while Carlton achieved widespread recognition with her signature piano ballads. At the time, music critics and outlets frequently compared the three teenage artists who wrote their own material.
Contrasting her early experience with the current environment, Branch praised modern female performers for fostering an inclusive community. She highlighted pop star Olivia Rodrigo and referenced Rodrigo's Daisy Chain Fields Music Festival in August, which featured an all-female lineup.
"I feel like there's such a camaraderie now between artists and especially female artists, and that's the way it should be," Branch said. "It's a really beautiful thing." She added that younger artists today have access to better support systems, saying, "I think these girls have a lot more support and they're a lot more savvy in ways than we were able to be back then."
Revisiting hits on anniversary project
Despite her difficult early experiences with industry comparisons, Branch has remained active in music and is gearing up to release a 25th anniversary EP titled Everywhere and Back Again on Nov. 6. The Grammy Award-winning artist recorded reimagined versions of her most popular songs for the project with help from special guest performers.
The upcoming project features updated renditions of her signature hits, including "Breathe," "Everywhere" and "All You Wanted." Branch described the experience of revisiting her early work as a celebratory milestone. "It felt really celebratory," Branch said. "I feel like I'm really honoring young Michelle."
Among the featured guests on the EP is country star Maren Morris, who joined Branch for a duet on her 2001 hit song "Goodbye to You." Branch revealed that she wrote the track in her bedroom when she was 15 years old and had specifically chosen Morris for the new recording.
"Maren was my first choice when it came to trying to figure out who was going to sing 'Goodbye to You,' so I was very, very grateful that she was down," Branch said. She explained that hearing Morris perform the track brought a new perspective to the composition. "That song I wrote when I was 15 in my bedroom, and I feel like hearing it now with Maren singing it from the perspective of a grown woman who is a mother, an artist who's lived so much more life than 15-year-old me, really brought a whole different emotional tone and emotional weight to the song that didn't exist before."
Touring and family life
In addition to her upcoming EP release, Branch kicked off her Everywhere and Back Again Tour on Sept. 27. The singer is balancing her return to live concert stages with her family life.
Branch has three children: 8-year-old Rhys and 4-year-old Willie with her husband, Patrick Carney, the drummer for rock group The Black Keys, as well as 21-year-old Owen from her previous marriage to ex-husband Teddy Landau.
Branch expressed appreciation for the opportunity to perform live while maintaining her home life. "The fact that I'm able to take three weeks out of my family life and go on tour, I'm very, very lucky," Branch said. "It's given me a different perspective on it because I just appreciate the time that I get to do it so much more."
