I first had the CD single of "Criminal," which I completely wore out before buying the Tidal album when I was an angsty, moody 12-year-old. I was instantly struck by her unique voice and heart-wrenching lyrics. For a couple of years, she was my little secret; I went to Britney Spears and *NSYNC concerts and learned the choreography to Destiny's Child videos but never really voiced my love for Fiona and her wild, reckless music. I still don't know what I was afraid of. It wasn't until freshman year of high school, in Honors English, that I read the lyrics to "Pale September" in front of my class for a project and the blank, slightly confused stares I got only furthered my admiration for this songwriter. From then on, I was unabashedly a Fiona Apple fan. I endured the hellish six years between When the Pawn . . . and Extraordinary Machine and was finally able to see her perform live with one of my best friends (a fellow Fiona stan) in 2012. It was everything I had been waiting for since I was that moody preteen, and everything I needed as an even moodier adult. Yes, I still listen to Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and of course Beyoncé, but I will always have a huge place in my heart for that unapologetic, raw, turbulent album that brought me through the tides of my adolescence.
— Britt Stephens, lead celebrity editor
