Born in New Jersey in 1981, singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten has released seven studio albums, including 2019’s acclaimed Remind Me Tomorrow. In the mid-2010s she took some time away from music, studying to become a mental health therapist and starring in film and TV roles including The OA and Twin Peaks: The Return. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, musician Zeke Hutchins, and their son. Her latest album, Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory, named after her new band, is out now on Jagjaguwar; they tour the UK in March.
1. Music
The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl
My band and I got to see the Cure when we were in the writing process of this new record. They were obviously a huge influence on us when we were kids and through our creative lives. Watching Robert Smith on stage, you can just tell he still loves performing so much – it’s a high bar he has set for us as artists. They did Plainsong, which was the song I walked down the aisle to, and being able to sing classic songs like Friday I’m in Love with my bandmates – there’s a magic in that kind of performance.
2. Film
Nightbitch (dir Marielle Heller)
As an actor, Amy Adams is so relatable and vulnerable, and really believable in every role I’ve seen her in. Here she plays a mother who, by “choice”, gives up her creative career to stay home with her child after daycare proves too expensive and unmanageable. It brings up conversations that I think couples have when they have a kid, how it changes the dynamic, even if you have a healthy relationship – sometimes you have to make hard choices. I feel lucky I’m in a relationship where my husband doesn’t want me to give up that part of myself.
3. TV
The Bear, Disney+
I think anyone that has been a creative has worked in the service industry, to some degree – I was more of a barista. This show really captures the family dynamic that exists in any working environment, and the stress that comes with opening a restaurant and keeping it afloat. They brought in chefs and people that have worked in the industry to make it feel sometimes stressfully relatable. Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays Jeremy Allen White’s mother, isn’t a regular character but she just commands the screen when she’s on – especially in the episode Fishes, where they have a family dinner.
4. Place
My husband and son are huge basketball fans, and we went on a family trip to the Final Four tournament in Phoenix, which we combined with a visit to Sedona. We went mountain biking, off-roading in a Jeep, and went to see Taliesin West, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio. There’s a “Sedona vortex”, they call it: some kind of unique geological and energetic phenomenon which is believed to have an effect on physical and spiritual insight. I don’t know if I had enough time to experience that myself, but our mountain bike guide swore it changed her life.
5. Cafe
Little Ripper, LA
When I first moved to LA from New York, one of the things we talked about was that I needed a place to be able to walk to. LA is very spread out, so this was a haven for us. The couple [who run it] are from Australia, and they’re really sweet. They employ a lot of musicians, and a coffee shop naturally brings together so many people – it’s a neighbourhood hub. They bring so much to our little part of town.
6. Book
The Beauty of What Remains by Steve Leder
A Jewish friend of mine recommended this book, written by a rabbi who goes to people’s bedsides to be with them in their last days, and he finds words of peace for them and their family. My husband’s father died this past year, and we’d been preparing for a long time, because he had dementia, but no matter how much you think you’re prepared, you’re not – it’s not like there’s a “how to grieve” process. It’s a really beautiful, uplifting book. I handed it directly to my partner after I read it, and he’s reading it now.
