 |
FletcherAmerican singer and songwriter
Date of Birth: 19.03.1994
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Career
- Independent Releases and Capitol Records
- Personal Life
- Relationship
- Influences
Early Life and Education
Fletcher was born in Asbury Park, New Jersey, to Bob and Noreen (née Napolitano) Fletcher. Her father ran multiple car dealerships, while her mother was a flight attendant. Fletcher began taking vocal lessons at the age of five.
In 2012, Fletcher graduated from Wall High School in nearby Wall Township, New Jersey, where she played on the varsity volleyball team. After graduating high school, she enrolled at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University (NYU). She took a year off and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue music full-time but ultimately finished her degree from NYU in 2016. She is currently based in Los Angeles.
Career
The X FactorIn 2011, Fletcher participated in the premiere season of "The X Factor." During the boot camp round, Simon Cowell put Fletcher together with Haley Orrantia, Paige Elizabeth Ogle, and Dani Knights to form the group Lakoda Rayne, mentored by Paula Abdul. They disbanded after being eliminated from the competition.
Independent Releases and Capitol Records
In 2015, Fletcher relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, and began collaborating with producer Jamie Kenney, resulting in the release of the single "War Paint." The song went viral on Spotify after its release. In 2016, Spotify added Fletcher to its Spotify Spotlight roster, helping her to establish herself as an independent artist. She was invited to speak on behalf of the company at Fortune Tech Conference in 2019 as a success story.
In September 2016, she independently released her debut EP, "Finding Fletcher." In August 2018, Fletcher announced that she had signed with Capitol Records, based in Los Angeles. She released her breakthrough single "Undrunk" on January 25, 2019, and subsequently made her national television debut on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." That same year, she also performed at Bonnaroo Music Festival, Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival, and Lollapalooza.
In April 2019, she released "If You're Gonna Lie," promoted as a prequel to "Undrunk," as well as "About You," another single about the same ex-lover. In August 2019, Fletcher released her sophomore EP, "You Ruined New York City for Me," featuring all of the previous releases as well as two new songs: "All Love" and "Strangers."
In October 2019, Fletcher was announced as the opening act for Niall Horan's "Nice to Meet Ya" tour, which was scheduled to begin in 2020 before being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In September 2020, Fletcher released her EP "The S(ex) Tapes," which explored the aftermath of a breakup. She later released "Cherry" featuring Hayley Kiyoko, which Elle called "sultry, flirty, yet buoyant."
On September 16, 2022, she released her debut album, "Girl of My Dreams," which debuted at number fifteen on the US Billboard 200.
Personal Life
Activism and AdvocacyFletcher has been an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse since March 2018, when she penned a letter in Billboard inspired by the #MeToo movement. She has supported the movement by performing at Its On Us and the United State of Women summit. She has also participated in Girl Up events and the Teen Vogue Summit in support of women's empowerment efforts.
Fletcher identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community and has been an outspoken supporter of organizations such as GLAAD, The Trevor Project, and It Gets Better. In March 2017, she told Billboard, "I definitely identify with the LGBTQ community, but as far as putting a label on it, like gay, straight, bisexual, lesbian, queer...it's all family and a spectrum, and sexuality and gender is not black and white. It's a spectrum that we all fall somewhere on. That's how I feel comfortable expressing myself—being in love with whoever I'm in love with and being attracted to whoever I'm attracted to." In December 2021, Fletcher stated that she identifies as queer and "is attracted to a strong feminine energy that just so happens to most likely be female."
Relationship
From 2017 to 2020, Fletcher dated YouTuber Shannon Beveridge. In 2017, Beveridge starred in the music video for her single "Wasted Youth." Fletcher's third EP, "The S(ex) Tapes," released in 2020, was inspired by the fallout from their breakup. Beveridge directed and edited all of the music videos for the EP, including "Sex (With My Ex)." In July 2022, Fletcher released the single "Becky's So Hot" about Beveridge's current girlfriend.
Influences
Growing up, she was inspired by vocalists such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston. She has cited Bob Marley and fellow New Jersey artists Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, and Patti Smith as influences. Fletcher has also expressed admiration for Madonna, Lady Gaga, and Troye Sivan.
