Who The Heck Is Fiona Apple?

Fiona Apple debuted her career in the nineties with her first genre-blending album, Tidal. A powerful start to a long career, Tidal is blunt and honest in its lyrics while sharp and bluesy in melody. From the start, Apple made sure her music stood out and would be remembered. Yet, I had no idea who she was until April 17th of this year. Minding my own business in quarantine it felt like overnight Fiona Apple was everywhere. All over Twitter, I saw people raving about Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Apple’s first studio album in eight years. On Instagram, my sorority sisters, college peers, and even fifteen-year-old campers were sharing that they were listening to Apple. I was floored, who was this new artist and how did she manage to take over the Internet in hours?

A brief Google search revealed to me that Fiona Apple was not a new name. The art pop singer songwriter has been composing music since she was eight years old. While Tidal was released when Apple was 19 it had songs she penned at 17. The song “Criminal” went on to win a Grammy for Best Female Vocal Rock Performance, though the whole album is critically acclaimed. Apple’s follow-up album, When the Pawn…, produced by Jon Brion, was also a success and was certified platinum.

After a delayed release and some trouble with Brion, Apple released her third studio album in 2005, Extraordinary Machine. This album gained another Grammy nomination, this time for Best Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Apple followed up with her fourth studio album, The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (often referred to as The Idler Wheel…). The work was critically acclaimed and landed Apple another Grammy nomination, this time for Best Alternative Music Album.

Which leads us to 2020 and the release of Apple’s fifth studio album, Fetch the Bolt Cutters. What made this album so special that everyone couldn’t stop talking about it? With perfect ratings and reviews from places like Pitchfork and The Rolling Stone, it seems despite the break, Apple has not lost her ability to captivate an audience.

It took me a few days, but eventually, I decided to check out this album. Based on who I had seen sharing the album, I had an assumption for a pop rock album, and was pleasantly surprised to receive so much more. I’ll admit I had to listen through the album a few times to really enjoy it, but from the opening lines of the album, Apple’s raw emotions and unashamed lyrics pulled me in. I wanted to understand Apple, and this album was a perfect introduction.

Recorded in her Venice Beach house, Apple allowed feeling and movement to guide her through the songs, using the walls and floor of her house to add beats behind her iconic piano playing. In the background you can hear her dogs barking (they are even credited on the songs) and Apple’s pure emotion is felt through her screams and scats.

Unlike her previous albums which were vague when directing blame, Fetch the Bolt Cutters said “fuck all that”. She named her bullies as well as redirected the narrative to be about overcoming and breaking free from the expectations of society and the patriarchal world. Apple strips down to her bare bones, exposing herself in a way that she never did before. Sometimes it is hard to listen, such as in “For Her” when Apple confronts her rapist, but at the same time, it demands to be listened to. Fetch the Bolt Cutters is about resistance and reclaiming yourself, and Apple did a beautiful job in creating a masterpiece.

Pitchfork writes, “The very sound of Fetch the Bolt Cutters dismantles patriarchal ideas: professionalism, smoothness, competition, perfection—aesthetic standards that are tools of capitalism, used to warp our senses of self.” No longer willing to hide behind an image, Apple lays her soul out to listeners with this album, and doesn’t care whether you like it or not.