A critical and commercial success at 20, singer/songwriter Fiona Apple Maggart (1977-) was born on this day in New York. The unique performer feels and writes with overwhelming emotions.

Her mother was a singer (Diane McAfee) and her father an actor (Brandon Maggart). The shy Fiona started playing the piano and singing by age eight. "Whenever I'd get upset about something, I would take my aggression out on my piano," she explained.

Known for confessional writing, fierce lyrics, and a haunting, husky voice she added, "things are a lot simpler if you just tell the truth."

"My strength is in my honesty."

Pale and slender with large, expressive eyes, critics called her a rare and natural talent. She once admitted that the poetry of Maya Angelou helped teach her how to pour out her feelings.

Apple's 1996 multiplatinum debut album Tidal included Criminal, a Grammy-winning song with startling, but honest lyrics. "The quick success was a bit strange to get used to," Apple said. "But the album was... a great workout of the mind. It pushed me. I realized that I had to live every second, not shut myself off from anything."

Apple wrote music for the film Magnolia (1999) and painted much of the artwork used in the film. She said in 1997, "Five years from now I'm probably going to look back on the things I'm doing and cringe."

Cringing aside, her 2006 Extraordinary Machine met with critical and commercial success. She said in an interview promoting the CD, "Not all people suck, but a lot of them do. More people suck than animals do."

More ROCK & ROLL Quotations | Song: I Want You

Feel deeply and learn.