Fiona Apple McAfee Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. Classically trained on piano as a child, Apple began composing her own songs when she was eight years old. Her debut album, Tidal, written when Apple was seventeen, was released in 1996 and received a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance (with an additional six nominations) for the single "Criminal". She followed with When the Pawn... (1999), produced by Jon Brion, which was also critically and commercially successful and went certified platinum.
For her third album, Extraordinary Machine (2005), Apple again collaborated with Brion, and began recording the album in 2002. However, Apple was reportedly unhappy with the production and opted not to release the record, leading fans to erroneously protest Epic Records, believing that the label was withholding its release. The album was eventually re-produced without Brion and released in October 2005 to critical acclaim. She released her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel..., in 2012, which was followed by an extensive world tour. The album received universal praise.
Apple's vocal range is contralto. Her musical style contains elements of jazz, alternative rock, and pop.