Chapter Two: Record Deal
Tattoo: Asian character on her lower back, which has since been covered with “Owen Isabelle” (her daughter’s name) and black roses

Branch’s early gigs consisted of rocking out everywhere from Javelina Cantina, the Mexican restaurant her mom managed, to county fairs, PTA meetings, and Girl Scout events. Her set list included covers by Sheryl Crow, Lisa Loeb (“I stalked her in my younger years”), and Fleetwood Mac. She raked in the tips and, if it was a good crowd, she would sneak in original tracks she’d written. If the crowd seemed more interested in the TV above her head, she’d lure them back with a heartfelt rendition of Jewel’s “You Were Meant for Me.”
In 2000, she signed a deal with Madonna’s now-defunct label Maverick Records, though Branch says the Material Girl didn’t have a lot to do with her album. “She definitely was aware of what was going on, but she wasn’t that involved. I’ve only met her a handful of times.”

Chapter Three: Grammys
Tattoo: Star on her right ankle

“I would get a tattoo at different career milestones—having a record go gold or platinum, stuff like that,” Branch says. “It was so surreal. Everything on my first record happened so fast, and no one knew what to expect. To be nominated for a Grammy completely caught me off guard because I was this teen artist, and it meant that all of my peers and people I looked up to were recognizing what I was doing. It was the most flattering thing. I never dreamed of being there—I never, ever thought I’d be nominated. I wasn’t old enough to drink, so I got tattoos instead.”

She was touring with Carlos Santana, enjoying the wild success of their song “The Game of Love,” when the icon gave her some sage career advice: Don’t do drugs and don’t ride in helicopters. “He had lost his manager in a helicopter crash,” Branch says. “I have no problem staying away from helicopters; they actually freak me out.” But did she listen to his other words of wisdom? She pauses for a second, and then laughs: “A little bit.”

Chapter Four: Pressure to Sex Up Her Image
Tattoos: “Left” and “Right” on her respective wrists

As her success grew, so did the label’s desire for her to be more like the scantily clad performers her age. “It actually got worse as I gained more success,” she says. “During my second record, we were going to shoot a video for my song ‘Breathe.’ The director sat me down and said, ‘I think maybe we should not have you playing guitar in this one. Maybe we call in a choreographer.’ I was like, ‘No, no, no! The only time I dance is when I drink tequila.’”

Branch also fought off the fashion advice (“They’re like, ‘Wear a rubber bustier, and we want you to have blue eye shadow’—I was dying”) and instead clung to her integrity, getting a few more tattoos along the way. “I thought it would be funny,” she says of the wrist tattoos. “A lot of people get stuff that’s really meaningful, like names or dates. People see [my wrists] and go, ‘That looks so pretty—what does it say?’ And I tell them, and then they think I’m crazy.”

The pressure to change wasn’t easy for the singer. “It was really intimidating. Being younger, being female, you feel like you should be so grateful for every opportunity you get handed and you should say yes to everything. All of this was happening as I was going through that age where you’re starting to be independent and getting a little bit angst-y, so maybe it worked to my benefit. I was wanting to revolt against everyone who was telling me what to do. I could see if someone had an angle or was trying to sneak something by me, and I would be like, ‘Don’t even try it.’ Fortunately, after I said no a couple of times, they understood not to even ask.”