Sixpence None The Richer

Formed in the early 1990s in New Braunfels, Texas, Sixpence None the Richer quickly developed an alternative rock sound with a pop tint, marked by Leigh Nash’s gentle vocals and guitarist Matt Slocum’s melodic writing. Inspired by an essay by C. S. Lewis, the name Sixpence None the Richer reflects the band’s Christian roots, placing them at the crossroads of the American alternative rock scene and spiritually themed pop/rock. After a debut album, The Fatherless and the Widow in 1994, followed by This Beautiful Mess in 1995, the band settled in Nashville and refined a sound blending chiming guitars, understated arrangements, and dreamy atmospheres. The album Sixpence None the Richer, released in 1997 and reissued in 1999, brought the group to a much wider audience thanks to several tracks picked up by radio and television, while Divine Discontent in 2002 continued this move toward more accessible pop. The band then took an extended hiatus before resuming activity in 2007, releasing the My Dear Machine EP in 2008 and the album Lost in Transition in 2012, and they continue to make occasional appearances on North American pop and rock stages.