Jennifer O'Connor

Jennifer O'Connor (born November 8, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released a series of well-regarded solo albums, and has either toured or played with Wilco, the Indigo Girls, Feist, Yo La Tengo, Dump, and the Mountain Goats, among other bands and musicians. Paste magazine has called her a "songwriter's songwriter", describing her albums as "master classes in economy and clarity."

While she is one of a limited number of notable independent musicians who is publicly out as gay, she does not write music obviously targeted to a gay audience. She is based in Brooklyn and in addition to writing and performing her own music, she also runs a record label, Kiam Records, with seven other artists on its roster.

Background

O'Connor was born in Putnam, Connecticut, and moved with her family to Florida while in high school. She did not learn to play guitar until she was 22, after graduating from Emory University. Her first performing experience came as part of the Atlanta-based band Violet, a group that was compared at the time to the Pixies and X.

After quitting the band she moved to New York City in 2000 and began playing solo. She supported herself by working a series of odd jobs in book stores and record stores. The most enjoyable and useful job she landed was working in the publicity office at the well-known music venue/record label the Knitting Factory."I’d work in the office all day, then go have some beer and watch a show," she told Time Out New York in 2006, about her experience there. "As someone who wanted to play music, it was incredibly inspiring being around all of that."

Even though she was signed with Matador at this point, O'Connor kept her own Kiam Records label running, and had begun releasing albums by other artists on the label. She also used the Kiam imprint to release a couple of 7-inch vinyl singles in 2007.

Her second album for Matador was 2008's Here With Me, a more upbeat album that was also given a largely positive reception. Spin wrote that her "unflinching lyrics and stunningly strong voice leap from distressing folk ballads to buzzing rock with ease." CMJ wrote that Here With Me "is so understated, that it's almost too easy to take for granted how good she is at what she does."

O'Connor has always been out, but it became a bit more visible when the cover of Here With Me featured a picture of her planting a kiss on the cheek of her girlfriend. She has never actively sought a lesbian audience, however, telling the web site AfterEllen.com: "I think I have avoided it in some ways, literally", while adding, "I mean, I'm gay and I'm completely comfortable with that, but it's never been a thing that's been related to what I do musically. It didn't seem relevant. With this record, it just kind of happened."

O'Connor was dropped from Matador after Here With Me succeeded critically but not popularly. O'Connor felt burned out and discouraged, and went back to working odd jobs around New York, including bartending on Broadway. After she got back to recording, she decided to release the album I Want What You Want on her own label largely because she did not want to wait to have to find a record deal somewhere. "I happen to have a record label, so I figured why not?" she told NBCNewYork.com in October 2011.

Discography

Albums Jennifer O'Connor, Kiam Records, 2002 The Color and the Light, Red Panda Records, 2005 Over the Mountain, Across the Valley and Back to the Stars, Matador Records, 2006 Here With Me, Matador Records, 2008 I Want What You Want, Kiam Records, 2011 Surface Noise, 2016 Born at the Disco, 2021

EPs Truth Love Work, self-released, 2000 Another Side of Jennifer O'Connor (digital only, eMusic exclusive) 2006

Singles "Little Airplane Heart" (with Choo Choo La Rouge), 2007 (7-inch vinyl) "I Was So Wrong" (Dump remix), 2008

Compilation appearances (selected) "Laughlike" on Ladyfest East, 28 Days Records, 2001 "The Color and the Light" on Little Darla Has a Treat For You, Vo. 23, Darla Records, 2005 "Deck the Halls" on Peace on Earth, Vol. II (to benefit the Children of Uganda Fund), Hard to Find a Friend Records, 2008 "Always In Your Mind" on Me + You Booklet, Vol. I, American Apparel, 2008 "Cover Me" on Play Some Pool, Skip Some School, Act Real Cool: Tribute to Springsteen, Where It's At Is Where You Are Records, 2009 "Tonight We Ride" on Matador at 21 (box set), Matador Records, 2010