Michelle Branch is back and better than ever. The singer, who you probably know from romcom soundtracks and TV commercials, was just 17 when she started making music. The now-33-year-old has spent the past fifteen years or so growing up — and she has the new music to prove it. Refinery29 sat down with Branch to chat about her upcoming album, Hopeless Romantic, and the new music video for the single "Best You Ever," which is out today.
"I think this album is definitely the most autobiographical in a sense that when my earlier work was out I was writing about love and relationships from the perspective of a teenager who had barely had any experience in that realm," she explained. Recently, the singer divorced her husband of eleven years, and found herself back on the dating scene for the first time as an adult.
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"I was single for the first time since I was a teenager," she said. "And I started dating and this album really follows the arc of leaving a relationship that was really substantial in my life to looking for love and ultimately finding it." Here, she's talking about Patrick Carney, drummer for The Black Keys and who helped produce Hopeless Romantic.
When it comes to "Best You Ever," however, it's all about getting over an ex.
"It was kind of my, for lack of better comparisons, it was kind of my “are you happy now?” on this album," she laughs. "It’s definitely a breakup song and I think there’s often times when you break up with people when you want to be like 'You’re gonna regret this. You don’t realize how good you have it. You’re gonna miss me some day.'"
It's a pretty relatable feeling, and one that's definitely fun to sing. That's why "Best You Ever" is sure to get stuck in your head. It's upbeat and powerful, but idea behind this initial music video is simple.
"This video is really behind the scenes," Branch said."Basically, the whole thing was shot in my home studio in Nashville so it started as like a behind the scenes studio video and it developed into something more. It’s fun."
The singer says a "proper" video is still in the cards, she just has to nail down the idea. "My little sister Nicole and I were talking and she was like 'That’s like a good spy song, you should be like a spy,'" she remembers. "And I was like, 'That sounds fun, sure, why not.'"
For now, you can just bask in the glory of Michelle Branch's triumphant return above, as well as stream her singles Hopeless Romantic and Best You Ever on Spotify and Apple Music. Catch the full album when it's out on April 7, or pre-order on iTunes or Amazon now.