Rachael Yamagata

Husky-voiced singer, songwriter, pianist, and guitarist Rachael Yamagata was born on September 23, 1977 in Arlington, Virginia. Her father is a Japanese-American attorney and Harvard graduate who works in Washington, D.C. while her mother is a German-Italian artist and painter based in New York City. Rachael has a twin brother named Benji. Her half brother Josh Ruben is an actor and director. Yamagata's parents divorced when she was two years old. She graduated from the Holton-Arms School for Girls in Bethesda, Maryland. Rachael attended both Vassar and Northwestern University. Yamagata was a vocalist for the Chicago, Illinois funk-fusion band Bumpus for six years. In 2001 she left the group to pursue a solo career. Yamagata released her self-titled debut EP in October, 2002. This was followed by her first full-length album "Happenstance," which was released in June, 2004 on the RCA label. A gifted musician with a special knack for mature and thoughtful lyrics, Yamagata alternates between beautifully sad and poignant ballads and more dynamic and exciting all-out rock tunes with equal skill and conviction. Her songs have not only been featured on episodes of such TV series as "Grey's Anatomy," "30 Rock," "ER," "Men in Trees," "How I Met Your Mother," "One Tree Hill," "The O.C." (Rachael also appeared as herself on this particular show), "So You Think You Can Dance?," and "Smallville," but also on the soundtracks for a handful of films that include ""in Her Shoes," "Prime," "Monster-in-Law," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," "Hotel For Dogs," and "Trust the Man." She co-wrote the song "Ladies' Choice" for Mandy Moore and has toured in concert with Moore. Among the artists Yamagata has sung vocals with are Jason Mraz, Rhett Miller, Ryan Adams, and Dan Wilson. Rachael has toured in America, England, and Japan. She released her second album "Elephants ... Teeth Sinking Into Heart" on October 7, 2008 on the Warner Bros. Records label.