Tori Amos

Tori Amos, born Myra Ellen Amos on August 22, 1963, in Newton, North Carolina, is an American singer-songwriter and classically trained pianist with a mezzo-soprano vocal range. A musical child prodigy, she gained international prominent recognition for her expressive piano-led compositions and thematic songs covering feminism, politics, religion, and personal experiences. Across her solo career, she has accumulated nine Grammy Award nominations, five MTV Video Music Award nominations, and an Echo Klassik award, as well as a placement on VH1's 1999 list of the 100 Greatest Women of Rock and Roll.

Amos displayed early musical aptitude by teaching herself to play piano, reproducing songs from memory by age two and composing by age three. At age five, she became the youngest student admitted to the preparatory division of the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, where she studied classical piano until 1974. At thirteen, she began performing in piano bars in Washington, D.C. In 1980, she released her first single, "Baltimore," which she co-wrote with her brother, and permanently adopted the stage name Tori. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1984 to advance her music career.

In 1986, Amos formed the short-lived 1980s pop-rock group Y Kant Tori Read. Following the release and commercial failure of the band's 1988 self-titled debut album, the group disbanded, and Amos worked briefly as a backup vocalist for other artists. She achieved her critical and commercial breakthrough as a solo artist with her 1992 album Little Earthquakes. Her second solo album, Under the Pink (1994), reached number one on the UK album chart, and her third, Boys for Pele (1996), achieved major transatlantic success.

Seeking artistic control, Amos converted a barn at her home in Cornwall, UK, into Martian Engineering Studios. She expanded her acoustic sound with electronica and dance arrangements on From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998) and To Venus and Back (1999). After completing her initial 15-year record contract with Atlantic Records via the 2001 concept cover album Strange Little Girls, she signed with Epic Records. With Epic, she released several notable concept albums, including Scarlet's Walk (2002), The Beekeeper (2005), and American Doll Posse (2007).

Over her career, Amos produced numerous charting singles, including "Crucify," "Silent All These Years," "God," "Cornflake Girl," "Caught a Lite Sneeze," "Professional Widow," "Spark," "1000 Oceans," "Flavor," and "A Sorta Fairytale." In May 2008, she announced her departure from Epic Records, transitioning to operate independently of major record labels for her subsequent creative work.