Vanessa Carlton
- Actress
- Composer
- Writer
Vanessa Carlton was born on August 16, 1980, the first of two children
(she has a sister and a brother) born to Ed and Heidi Carlton. Raised
in Milford, Pennsylvania, her mother was a piano teacher, and exposed
Vanessa to classical music from a young age. By age two, she began
playing the piano, and at age 9 became obsessed with ballet. She joined
the School of American Ballet at age 14, living in a dorm at Lincoln
Center and enrolling in the Professional Children's School. During her
time at the academy, she continued playing the piano and writing songs,
nurturing her blossoming songwriting skills. Upon graduation, she moved
to Hell's Kitchen, where she waitressed five nights a week and
performed at local clubs on open mic nights, honing her craft and
developing a stage presence. At home, she would often stay up until 4
a.m. recording demos on a four-track machine, and was signed to A&M
Records in 2001. Her first video, for the song "A Thousand Miles," was
released even as she continued recording her debut album, and it became
an instant smash on MTV, as well as cracking the American Top Ten. This
lead Rolling Stone magazine to name her as one of the 'Top Ten Artists
to Watch in 2002.' Her debut album, titled 'Be Not Nobody,' was
released in April of 2002, and her second single, "Ordinary Day," was
both a hit on the charts and with MTV viewers, via the video she made
for the song. She'll spend the rest of 2002 and early 2003 on tour, and
then plans to enroll in Columbia University full-time in the fall of
2003. Carlton maintains she'll have no problem juggling a music career
with a full plate of school studies.
