Fletcher (singer)

Cari Elise Fletcher (born March 19, 1994), known mononymously as Fletcher (stylized in all caps), is an American singer and songwriter. Fletcher's breakthrough single "Undrunk" was released in January 2019 and became her first single to chart on the "Billboard" Hot 100, and reached No. 1 on Spotify's Viral Chart in the United States. "Undrunk" was released on her extended play "You Ruined New York City for Me", and according to Mediabase, the song was the fastest-rising song at pop radio for a new artist since 2014. Spotify ranked the song as one of the "Best Pop Songs of 2019".
Her debut single as a solo artist, "War Paint", was released in June 2015. Her 2016 single, "Wasted Youth", reached No. 1 on "Billboard" Emerging Artist Chart. In 2018, Fletcher was signed to Capitol Records. She has toured around the world, in addition to performing at Bonnaroo Music Festival, Life Is Beautiful Music & Art Festival, Lollapalooza, and the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Before the global COVID-19 pandemic, she was scheduled to be a supporing act on Niall Horan's Nice To Meet Ya Tour in 2020.
Early life.
Fletcher was born Cari Elise Fletcher in Asbury Park, New Jersey to Bob and Noreen (née Napolitani) Fletcher. Her parents are New Jersey natives; her father owned several car dealerships and her mother was a flight attendant. She began taking vocal lessons at the age of five.
In 2012, Fletcher graduated from Wall High School in nearby Wall Township, New Jersey, where she played women's volleyball. Upon graduating high school, she attended the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University (NYU). She took a year-long leave of absence and moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue music full time, but completed NYU in 2016. She's currently based in Los Angeles.
Career.
Fletcher competed on the premiere season of "The X Factor". In the boot camp round, Simon Cowell paired Fletcher with Hayley Orrantia, Paige Elizabeth Ogle, and Dani Knights to form the group Lakoda Rayne under mentorship of Paula Abdul. They disbanded after being eliminated from the competition. In 2015, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee and began collaborating with producer Jamie Kenney, during which the single "War Paint" was released. The song became the most viral song on Spotify and received media acclaim. In 2016, Spotify added Fletcher to their Spotify Spotlight list, helping catapult her as an independent artist. She was invited to speak on behalf of the company at Fortune Tech Conference in 2019 as a success story. In September 2016, she released her debut EP "Finding Fletcher" independently.
In August 2018, Fletcher announced that she had signed with Capitol Records, which is based in Los Angeles. She now shares the label with artists such as Katy Perry, Paul McCartney, Sam Smith, and Halsey. She released her debut single "Undrunk" with Capitol Records on January 25, 2019 and subsequently made her television debut on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon". The record was certified gold in the United States by December 2019. On the song, "GQ" said, "You won't find much better songwriting than Fletcher's here."
In April 2019, she released "If You're Gonna Lie", marketed as a prequel to "Undrunk" and "About You", another single about the same ex. In August 2019, Fletcher released her second EP, "You Ruined New York City for Me" (stylized in all lowercase), with all prior releases along with two new songs, "All Love" and "Strangers". The EP was produced by Malay, who previously worked with Frank Ocean, Sam Smith, Lorde, John Mayer, James Morrison, Zayn and Alessia Cara. In October 2019, Fletcher was announced as an opening act for Niall Horan's Nice to Meet Ya Tour, set to begin in 2020 before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Paper" magazine said that Fletcher is "one of the most exciting female artists to emerge in pop [music]." In September 2020, Fletcher released her EP, "The S(ex) Tapes", which shares the raw aftermath of a breakup.
Personal life.
Fletcher released "I Believe You" in support of sexual assault survivors in March 2018, penning a #MeToo-inspired letter to "Billboard". She supported the movement with appearances at "It's On Us" and the United State of Women Summit. She's also participated in "Girl Up" and the "Teen Vogue" Summit in support of women's empowerment efforts.
Fletcher is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and actively supports organizations such as GLAAD, The Trevor Project and It Gets Better. She told "Billboard" "I definitely identify within the LGBTQ community, but as far as putting a label on like gay, straight, bisexual, lesbian, queer... it's all in the family and spectrum, and sexuality and gender is not black and white. It's a spectrum that we all fall somewhere in the world on. That's how I feel comfortable expressing myself -- loving who I feel like loving and who I'm attracted to."
Fletcher previously dated YouTuber Shannon Beveridge. Her EP "The S(ex) Tapes" chronicles the aftermath of their breakup.