Jennifer Charles
An American singer with a haunting contralto who weaves literary myth and deep emotion into atmospheric art-pop and jazz.
Born 1968 (age 58)·American singer·Birthday: November 15·Generation X
Biography
Jennifer Charles possesses a voice that feels both ancient and intimately present—a low, smoky instrument that pulls listeners into a world of poetic reverie. In the early 1990s, she co-founded the band Elysian Fields with guitarist Oren Bloedow, creating a signature sound that blended noir-ish jazz, art-rock, and chamber pop, all anchored by her evocative lyrics and hypnotic delivery. Her work, both with the band and in collaborations like Lovage with Dan the Automator, rejects easy categorization, drawing equally from French chanson, beat poetry, and dark folk. Charles is a songwriter obsessed with texture and narrative, crafting songs that feel like short stories set to music. While she operates away from mainstream pop, her influence is felt in the realms of alternative music, where she is revered as a true artist committed to the alchemy of word, sound, and mood.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Jennifer was born in 1968, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jennifer Was Born
The biggest hits of 1968
#1 Movie
2001: A Space Odyssey
Best Picture
Oliver!
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Jennifer's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1968Born
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1973Started school
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1981Became a teenager
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1984Could drive
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1986Could vote
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1989Turned 21
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
Gas: $1.00/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Look Away" — ChicagoBest Picture: Driving Miss Daisy
1998Turned 30
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 40
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 50
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 58 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded and fronts the influential New York art-pop band Elysian Fields.
- Her collaborative album 'Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By' with Lovage (alongside Dan the Automator and Mike Patton) became a cult classic.
- Has composed and performed music for several film soundtracks and theatrical productions.
- Her distinct contralto vocal style and literary songwriting have earned a dedicated international following.
Did You Know?
She is of French and Lebanese descent, which influences the multicultural textures in her music.
Charles is also a visual artist and has designed covers for some of her albums.
She lived in Paris for a period, an experience that deepened her connection to French musical traditions.
She collaborated with poet Anne Waldman on the album 'The Milk of Dreams.'
“A voice should be a place you can inhabit, dark and full of corners.”
