Angela Maria “Ani” DiFranco[2] (/ˈɑːniː/; born September 23, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter.[3] She has released more than 20 albums.[4][5][6][7] DiFranco’s music has been classified as folk rock and alternative rock, although it has additional influences from punk, funk, hip hop and jazz. She has released all her albums on her own record label, Righteous Babe.
DiFranco supports many social and political movements by performing benefit concerts, appearing on benefit albums and speaking at rallies. Through the Righteous Babe Foundation, DiFranco has backed grassroots cultural and political organizations supporting causes including abortion rights and LGBT visibility.
DiFranco came out as bisexual in her twenties,[26] and has written songs about love and sex with women and men.
DiFranco’s guitar playing is often characterized by a signature staccato style,[42][43] rapid fingerpicking and many alternate tunings. She delivers many of her lines in a speaking style notable for its rhythmic variation. Her lyrics, which often include alliteration, metaphor, word play and a more or less gentle irony, have also received praise for their sophistication.
Ani DiFranco. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 17, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ani_DiFranco
Collaboration with Utah Phillips
She developed a deep association with folksinger and social activist Utah Phillips throughout the mid-1990s, sharing her stage and her audience with the older musician until his death in 2008 and resulting in two collaborative albums: The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere (1996) and Fellow Workers (1999, with liner notes by Howard Zinn).[45]
The Past is built around Phillips’s storytelling, an important part of his art that had not previously been documented on recordings; on the album, DiFranco provides musical settings for his speaking voice.
Both Hands
And God help you if you are a phoenix, and you dare to rise up from the ash.
Ani Difranco – 32 Flavors
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy, while you’re just flying past.
Not A Pretty Girl
Links:
- Albums on Righteous Babe
- My favorite Ani songs – Playlist on Spotify