Portrait of Sharon Van Etten

Birthday profile

Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Van Etten, American singer-songwriter, musician and actress

Born
February 26, 1981
Age in 2026
45
Zodiac sign
Pisces
Birth year
1981

About Sharon Van Etten

Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress. Originally from New Jersey, and currently based in Los Angeles, Van Etten's music is noted for its indie rock aesthetic and personal lyrical content. In the studio and during live performances, Van Etten is currently accompanied by her backing band, the Attachment Theory, which consists of Devra Hoff (bass guitar, backing vocals), Teeny Lieberson (keyboards, guitar, backing vocals) and Jorge Balbi (drums). To date, Van Etten has released seven studio albums: Because I Was in Love (2009), Epic (2010), Tramp (2012), Are We There (2014), Remind Me Tomorrow (2019), We've Been Going About This All Wrong (2022) and Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory (2025). As an actress, Van Etten starred as Rachel in both series of the Netflix mystery drama The OA (2016–2019), and has appeared in the feature films Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020) and How It Ends (2021). Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released. She ended up working at the Red Rose, a coffee and record shop and music venue in Murfreesboro for about five years. Before her studio debut, she worked at Astor Wines and as a publicist at Ba Da Bing Records. On September 21, 2010, Van Etten released her second studio album, Epic, on Ba Da Bing Records.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Sharon Van Etten timeline

  1. Van Etten self-released handmade CDs until 2009, when her debut studio recording was released.
  2. On September 21, 2010, Van Etten released her second studio album, Epic, on Ba Da Bing Records.

The world when Sharon Van Etten was born

Sharon Van Etten was born in 1981. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1981

  • #1 song"Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes
  • Top movieChariots of Fire
  • Top TV showDallas
  • Best-selling bookThe Hotel New Hampshire – John Irving

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentSugar Ray Leonard defeats Thomas Hearns
  • Top headlineMTV launches
  • Technology milestoneIBM launches the PC
  • Defining fadPac-Man fever
  • Notable inventionIBM PC (personal computer)
  • World population4.53 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderRonald Reagan
  • Sports championLos Angeles Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonBoston Celtics (NBA)
  • U.S. population229.5M

1981 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Sharon Van Etten's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19812026
Gas$1.31$3.45/gal
Average home$68,900$435,000
Average income$22,388$67,500
Minimum wage$3.35$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.78$11.95
Postage stamp$0.18$0.73
Population229.5M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, MusicBrainz. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.