Sharon van Etten is a US singer-songwriter and actress from New Jersey, born in 1981 and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. Her work spans country folk, folk, folk rock, indie folk, indie rock and singer-songwriter styles.

Career

Van Etten begins releasing music in 2007 with the single Much More Than That on Abaton Book Company. She later issues Because I Was in Love as a single in 2009 through Language of Stone, then records her second album, Epic, for Ba Da Bing, which appears in 2010 and expands her sound beyond a mainly acoustic style.

Her third album, Tramp, follows in 2012 and is recorded with the National’s guitarist Aaron Dessner. In 2014 she releases Are We There on Jagjaguwar. For that album she self-produces with Stewart Lerman, with guidance from her bandmate and manager Zeke Hutchins. Recording takes place mainly at Hobo Sound Studios in Weehawken, New Jersey, with piano parts cut at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.

Are We There features a wide group of musicians including Zeke Hutchins, Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, Dave Hartley, Adam Granduciel, Marisa Anderson, Stuart D. Bogie, Mickey Free, Mary Lattimore, Little Isidor, Jacob Morris, Mackenzie Scott of Torres, Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater, Jana Hunter of Lower Dens and Peter Broderick, who is also known for touring with Efterklang.

Later releases and collaborations

In 2015 she releases the EP I Don’t Want to Let You Down on Jagjaguwar, made up of songs that do not appear on Are We There. In 2018 she releases the track “Comeback Kid” and announces Remind Me Tomorrow, which follows in 2019. She later releases We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong in 2022.

In 2025 she releases Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory. She is also associated with Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory as a named act.

Touring and early development

Van Etten moves to Tennessee to attend Middle Tennessee State University, where she discovers a range of influential music. After returning to New Jersey, Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio encourages her to pursue music professionally. She undertakes her first UK tour with Meg Baird in January 2008, then tours with Great Lake Swimmers on their European run in May 2009, opening in London alongside Beirut and Shearwater. She tours with Great Lake Swimmers again in September and October 2009.

She is also the first artist to record in 2010 for Weathervane Music’s Shaking Through video series.