Annie Clark (St.Vincent), Musician

Musician Annie Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent, began playing guitar at age 12. As a teenager, she got a sense of a touring musician's life when she accompanied her uncle Tuck Andress on tour as he traveled with his popular jazz duo Tuck & Patti. After graduating from high school in 2001, Clark spent three years studying at the Berklee School of Music, leaving in 2004 to join Baroque pop group the Polyphonic Spree. Two years later, Sufjan Stevens asked Clark if she would work with him. Before going on tour, she recorded an EP to sell at the shows, for which she adopted the name St. Vincent.

In 2007, she released her first full-length album, Marry Me, under the label Beggars Banquet. Her second album, Actor (released with British independent label 4AD) earned strong reviews and, coupled with her energetic live performances, moved the album from indie to mainstream charts. Her third album, Strange Mercy, was released in September 2011. The next year, Clark collaborated with David Byrne to create Love This Giant, a joint album from St. Vincent and the Talking Heads musician. Clark spent most of 2012 and 2013 touring in support of the project. Her fourth solo project, the self-titled St. Vincent, was released in February 20