Biography

Polly Jean Harvey, born October 9, 1969 in Yeovil, United Kingdom and raised in nearby Corscombe (Dorset), is an English singer-songwriter. She has recorded as a solo artist under the name PJ Harvey, but she began her career as part of a trio (with drummer Rob Ellis and bassist Steve Vaughan) also named PJ Harvey in 1991.

Early material released by the trio on Dry, 4 Track Demos and Rid of Me was praised by critics for its raw lo-fi, many times acoustic guitar sound and melancholic, witty lyrics. After the trio broke up, Harvey released To Bring You My Love, a blues-heavy album that expanded the range of her sound through the incorporation of strings, organs, and electronic sound effects. Her stage show became more theatrical, with Harvey performing in ballgowns, pink catsuits, wigs and garish, vampish make-up. Never one to rest, she followed this album with the softer, more experimental Is This Desire? and then Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea, which combined her more guitar-driven work with cleaner, lusher arrangements. In 2004 she released Uh Huh Her which marked a return to her earlier, rawer sound. Her most recent album, White Chalk was released in 2007. White chalk gives the listener a new sound: Gone are the guitar in has the piano come with such tender force that the depressive sound is even stronger. White chalk was according to a BBC report the result of a writing block.

She has also collaborated with a number of other artists, including Nick Cave, Thom Yorke, Bjork, John Parish, Tricky, Sparklehorse, Josh Homme, Pascal Comelade and Mark Lanegan. PJ Harvey has also been a collaborator in the Desert Sessions, along with Josh Homme, Jeordie White, Dave Catching, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegan, Chris Goss, Alain Johannes, Dean Ween, and many others.