Introduction
Heather Maloney (born 1985 or 1986) is an American singer-songwriter. In 2009, she self-released her debut album, Razor's Edge, followed by Time & Pocket Change in 2011. In 2012, Maloney signed with Northampton-based label Signature Sounds Recordings where she released Heather Maloney (2013), Woodstock (2014), and Making Me Break (2015).
Early life and education
Maloney was raised in Hamburg, New Jersey. She studied classical operatic singing, improvisational jazz vocals, and music theory.
From 2006 to 2009, Maloney lived and worked at a silent meditation retreat center in Massachusetts, taking vows of silence for days at a time. According to Maloney, the silence helped her discover her songwriting talent; she wrote her first songs at the retreat.
Woodstock
In December 2013, a New York Times blog wrote about and shared a video of Maloney performing Woodstock with Darlingside; the writer favorably compared her to Mitchell. In 2014, Maloney released a collaborative EP with Boston quartet Darlingside entitled Woodstock, where she covers Joni Mitchell's song Woodstock. Following the release of Woodstock, Maloney and Darlingside embarked on a nation-wide tour.
Making Me Break
Following Woodstock, Maloney joined with producer Bill Reynolds to craft an album that merged Maloney's folk roots with indie rock: Making Me Break (2015). The album features members of My Morning Jacket and The Wallflowers.