Ani Difranco consists of Angela Marie.
Ani DiFranco ( IPA: ɑ-ni) (born Angela Marie Difranco on September 23, 1970) is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. DiFranco is prolific, having produced three studio albums of new material and one remix album just in 1999 (see list below). She has released at least one album every year since 1990, with the exception of 2000 (perhaps because she released three albums in 1999 and a double album in 2001.)
Born in Buffalo, New York to a Jewish American mother and an Italian-American father, DiFranco, the daughter of two folk music loving parents, started playing Beatles' covers at local bars with her guitar teacher at the age of nine, and built her career from there.
By the time she was fifteen, her family life imploded. At this time, she moved out on her own, supporting herself mainly by her vocal performances, but still managed to graduate from The Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts school.
In 1989, at the age of eighteen, DiFranco started her own record company, Righteous Babe Records, with just $50, and recorded Ani DiFranco, issued in the winter of 1990. Later on she relocated to New York City and toured vigorously.
She is openly bisexual and, in 1998, married sound engineer Andrew Gilchrist. They separated five years later but remain friends.
DiFranco is currently taking time off from touring due to tendonitis.
DiFranco's father died early in the summer of 2005; however she continued her summer tour as a legacy to him.
Many have noted a signature staccato style to DiFranco's work , . Another important aspect is her skill in rapid fingerpicking and generally high ability on the acoustic guitar—notably in the song "Out of Range", appearing on the eponymous album. Her lyrics have also received praise for their sophistication: alliteration (and wordplay in general) is an important component, and a more or less gentle irony fills many of her songs—especially those that deal with the intersection of the personal and political. She is known for her descriptive use of metaphors. She delivers many of her lines in a speaking style notable for its rhythmic variation. The song "Talkin' Ani DiFranco's Mom Blues," a talking blues song by Dan Bern, strings together some of the most memorable lines from DiFranco's early career for comic effect.
