A critical and commercial success at 20, singer-songwriter Fiona Apple Maggart (1977–) was born on this day in New York. The unique performer writes with overwhelming emotions and sings with fierce honesty.

Her mother was a singer and her father an actor. The shy Fiona began playing piano and singing by age eight. "Whenever I'd get upset about something, I would take my aggression out on my piano," she explained.

Known for her confessional writing and husky voice, she said, "Things are a lot simpler if you just tell the truth."

"My strength is in my honesty."

Called a natural talent, Fiona once shared that the poetry of Maya Angelou helped her open up and express her feelings.

Her 1996 multiplatinum debut album Tidal included the Grammy-winning song Criminal, filled with startling but honest lyrics. "The quick success was a bit strange to get used to," she said. "But the album was... a great workout of the mind. It pushed me. I realized I had to live every second, not shut myself off from anything."

Fiona composed music for the film Magnolia (1999) and painted some of the artwork used in the film. In 1997, she predicted, "Five years from now I'm probably going to look back on the things I'm doing and cringe."

Cringing aside, her 2006 album Extraordinary Machine was met with both critical and commercial success. In an interview, she said, "Not all people suck, but a lot of them do. More people suck than animals do."

In recent years, Fiona continues to create on her own terms. Her 2020 album Fetch the Bolt Cutters, recorded at home, was hailed as a freedom cry — raw, fearless, and utterly her own. Through truth and resilience, she remains a voice for those who feel deeply and refuse to be quiet about it.