After 12 years of service, New York born Natalie Merchant parted company with alternative folk-rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1993 to embark on a solo career. Merchant’s debut solo album, Tigerlily was a critical and commercial success; featuring lush vocals and sparse instrumentation, it would go on to sell over 5 million copies and spawn her first top-ten hit in the single Carnival. She has since produced a number of studio albums and performed alongside the likes of Tracy Chapman, Michael Stipe, David Byrne and Peter Gabriel. Her plaintive vocals and literate, socially conscious songs have established her among the preeminent female performers in contemporary pop.

Nonesuch Records will release Natalie Merchant’s new album, Leave Your Sleep, on April 12.  Leave Your Sleep is the culmination of six years of research and collaboration and is, in Merchant’s words, “The most elaborate project I have ever completed or even imagined.”  It is her first studio album since 2003 and her first for Nonesuch.  To coincide with the release, she has announced a European tour in May – her first in eight years – including seven dates in the UK.