If you were a culturally aware person in 2001 and didn’t love Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere,” then you probably weren’t being very true to yourself. Sadly, she hasn’t made a ton of music since then: Hopeless Romantic, her new album from April, is her first album since 2003’s Hotel Paper (except for her 2006 album as part of country duo The Wreckers, which is, by the way, fire). There’s a lot of hope in her romance nowadays, though. She celebrated her 34th birthday this past weekend with boyfriend and The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney, who decided it was a good time to pull out an engagement ring.
She posted a photo on Instagram of herself wearing the ring and captioned it, “Last night, right before I blew out my candles, [Carney] asked me to marry him and then I had nothing left to wish for. 34 might be the best year yet.”
It was actually Carney who played a big part in getting Branch’s music career back in full swing. When he was recovering from a broken shoulder in 2015, Carney spotted Branch at a Grammy party, and Branch told Popcrush of the encounter:
“He was sitting in the corner like, in a chair with his sling. And he was like, ‘Michelle?’ And he called me over and he was like, ‘Why don’t you have an album out?’ And I was like, ‘Well, how much time do you have?’ And I think Patrick, he loves underdogs, he loves an underdog story. And he was basically like, ‘I’m going to help you fix this. I’m going to help you figure this out.’”
It’s fair to say he did that, considering he co-wrote and produced all of the songs on Hopeless Romantic. The timing of the engagement is also great for the newly betrothed, considering that the pair is getting ready to head out on the road during July and August in support of the new album (with Carney on drums, of course).
…If anyone wants to share jello recipes here are a few good places to find me.
– @patrickcarney https://t.co/ecD9dPatht pic.twitter.com/cAUmuwJ6Ry— The Black Keys (@theblackkeys) May 19, 2017
