monica martin

Biography

Monica Martin is a Chicago-born singer‑songwriter who grew up in rural Wisconsin, spending her adolescence waiting for Billie Holiday videos to load over back‑country dial‑up and driving in a beat‑up Geo Metro to punk shows in Milwaukee.[3] Working as a hairdresser in Baraboo, Wisconsin, she had no serious plans to pursue music beyond jokingly harmonizing with the radio until a musician friend coaxed her into singing in public and on friends’ recordings in her late teens.[1][3][5] Those experiences led her to begin writing her own songs, and around 2012 she became the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the experimental folk‑pop sextet PHOX, formed with friends from her small hometown just outside Madison.[1][3][4][5]

With PHOX, Martin’s lush, elastic voice and confessional, often over‑sharing lyrics helped the band gain national attention, leading to a self‑titled album, major festival appearances, and national TV performances before the group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2017.[1][3][4] After years in Madison and Baraboo, she moved to Los Angeles—famously saying she left because “Wisconsin is cold as fck”—and settled into a small periwinkle casita, where she began releasing solo material such as her debut single “Cruel” and the follow‑up “Thoughtless,” expanding her sound into low‑key pop with blue‑note, soul‑tinged vocals, golden‑era Hollywood melodrama, and occasional psychedelic touches like theremin.[1][3][4][6] Alongside collaborations with artists including Violents, Vulfpeck, and James Blake, Martin has cultivated a reputation for songs that unpack “romantic fckery” and personal mental health struggles with sardonic wit, emotional candor, and an intimate, jazz‑inflected vocal style that bridges indie folk, pop, and classic torch‑song influences.[1][3][4][6]

Though still early in her solo discography, Martin’s work is often noted for its blend of beauty and scorn: a wide vocal range capable of fluttering high registers, paired with lyrics that refuse to romanticize her own mistakes or those of her lovers.[1][4][6] She has spoken openly about discovering her talent relatively late, navigating the complex dynamics of a close‑knit band from a tiny town, and using music to process class issues, identity, and the cost of being poor, all of which have made her a distinct voice within contemporary indie pop and folk scenes.[1][3][6] Her ongoing projects in Los Angeles continue to explore these themes, positioning her as a singular storyteller who brings jazz, folk, and pop lineages into a deeply personal, modern framework.[1][3][4][6]

Fun Facts

• Before pursuing music, Monica Martin trained and worked as a hairdresser in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and has compared the job to being a therapist because of the intimate conversations she had with clients.[3][5][6]
• She discovered her serious vocal talent relatively late, around age 18, when a musician friend named Matt heard her singing along to the radio in a car and pushed her to start performing and recording.[1]
• Martin has described leaving Wisconsin for Los Angeles by bluntly saying she moved because “Wisconsin is cold as f*ck,” later settling in a small periwinkle casita that she often mentions as emblematic of her new creative freedom.[1][3][6]
• She openly jokes that she is cataloging the “fuckery” of her exes—and herself—in her solo songs, framing her work as a set of cautionary tales built from “hundreds of mistakes” she hopes listeners can learn from.[1][3][6]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Billie Holiday - Formative vocal and stylistic influence; Martin grew up obsessively watching Holiday videos on slow rural internet and cites her as a key inspiration for her ‘blue note whispers’ and torch‑song sensibility. (General influence across Martin’s solo songs such as “Cruel” and “Thoughtless,” which feature jazz‑inflected phrasing and emotional delivery.) [Adolescence onward (2000s–present)]
• Fiona Apple - Cited by Martin as a major influence on her songwriting, especially the confessional, emotionally complex, and sometimes caustic lyrical approach she brings to PHOX and solo material. (Reflected broadly in PHOX’s self‑titled album and Martin’s later solo work exploring complicated relationships and self‑scrutiny.) [Influence acknowledged in interviews reflecting on her development up through the 2010s and 2020s]

Key Collaborators

• PHOX (band) - Experimental folk‑pop sextet that Martin fronted as lead vocalist and prominent songwriter; formed with friends from Baraboo, Wisconsin, and became her primary project before her solo career. (PHOX’s self‑titled album and associated tours, major festival appearances, and national TV performances.) [Circa 2012–2017 (band formed around 2012 and went on indefinite hiatus in 2017)]
• Violents - Electronic‑leaning project with which Martin developed a darker, more electronic sound distinct from PHOX’s indie‑folk palette. (Collaborative work that shaped the sound explored on her single “Thoughtless,” which draws on the style she developed with Violents in 2017.) [Around 2017]
• Vulfpeck - Initially covered Vulfpeck songs live with PHOX, later contributing guest vocals to a track on one of Vulfpeck’s albums, connecting her to the funk and indie‑soul world. (Live Vulfpeck covers with PHOX; guest vocal feature on a Vulfpeck album track (specific track not named in sources).) [Mid‑2010s onward]
• James Blake - Collaborative work in which Martin contributed vocals, reflecting her crossover into more experimental and electronic singer‑songwriter circles. (Guest vocal contributions (specific song titles are not detailed in the cited sources).) [Late 2010s–early 2020s (as referenced in retrospective interviews)]
• Scary Pockets - Collaborated as a featured vocalist with the funk and soul cover collective, aligning her with a community of session and touring musicians. (Guest vocals on Scary Pockets recordings/performances (specific tracks not named in sources).) [Late 2010s–early 2020s]

Artists Influenced

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External Links

• Spotify