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Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress. Her debut single, 'A Thousand Miles,' was released in 2002 and spent 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, earning three Grammy nominations. The single was included on her debut album, Be Not Nobody, which reached number five on the Billboard 200 and produced additional singles such as 'Ordinary Day' and 'Pretty Baby.' Her second album, Harmonium, was released in 2004 and experienced similar success, though its troubled production led to her departure from A&M Records in 2005. Carlton's third album, Heroes & Thieves, was released in 2007 and received critical praise despite minimal chart success. She independently produced her subsequent albums, Rabbits on the Run (2011) and Liberman (2015), both of which were noted for their personal subject matter and musical evolution. Her sixth studio album, Love Is an Art, was released in 2020. In 2025, Billboard ranked her among the best female artists of the 21st century. Outside of her recording career, Carlton made her Broadway debut in 2019 with a leading role in the musical Beautiful, portraying Carole King.