Angela Maria “Ani” DiFranco was born on September 23rd, 1970 from parents with Italian and Canadian backgrounds. Both her father, Dante, and her mother, Elisabeth, were architects. She grew up in Buffalo, N.Y. and played her first gigs at the age of nine, playing in local bars in her hometown. She attended the Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts. She moved to New York City at 16 and in 1988 she made a demo which has become a highly sought-after fan item. She is now a prolific artist.Ani’s lyrics focus, amongst other topics, on war, GLBT issues, sexual assault, the music industry and, recently, the joy of motherhood.
Early on, DiFranco saw how some talents were ignored while others were hyped up. Based on experiences in meeting with the industry she decided to stay independent and as a result she formed her own label: Righteous Babe Records(RBR among her followers). The label was formed in 1989, and a year later her self-titled debut hit the streets. From day one her popularity grew on a mouth to mouth basis. In 1991 her next relase “Not So Soft” came out, followed by yearly releases thereafter, with the exception of 2000, when she released only an EP called “Swing Set”. This EP Includes a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane”.Ani tours both with a band and as a solo artist. Her touring pace has often been extreme and in 2005-2006 she had to take a break from touring due to tendonitis.