Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Katharine Van Etten was born on February 26, 1981, in Belleville, New Jersey. She spent her early years in Nutley and Clinton, New Jersey, attending North Hunterdon High School where she participated in chorus and stage musicals. Her initial passion for music led her to Middle Tennessee State University to study recording, though she later left. After a period working at a coffee and record shop, and enduring a difficult relationship, Van Etten relocated to Brooklyn, New York. She initially self-released music and worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist for Ba Da Bing Records before her official debut.

Van Etten’s musical career began with the release of her debut album, “Because I Was in Love,” in 2009 on Language of Stone. She subsequently released “Epic” in 2010 on Ba Da Bing Records, which was noted for its intimate sound. Her third album, “Tramp,” produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, was released in 2012 by Jagjaguwar, marking a significant step in her career. “Are We There,” her fourth studio album from 2014, was self-produced with Stewart Lerman, further establishing her distinctive sound and lyrical depth. In 2015, she released the EP “I Don’t Want to Let You Down.”

In addition to her music, Van Etten has pursued an acting career, appearing as Rachel in the Netflix mystery drama “The OA” (2016–2019) and in films such as “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (2020) and “How It Ends” (2021). Her 2019 album, “Remind Me Tomorrow,” represented a shift towards more electronic sounds. Her sixth studio album, “We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong,” was released in 2022, followed by “Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory” in 2025. Over the years, she has collaborated with artists like The National, Josh Homme, and Angel Olsen, and contributed music to various film and television projects.