Grammy winner Brandi Carlile has been hovering just beneath the mainstream surface for years and making a dang good living doing it. This critically-acclaimed singer and songwriter earned three Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 10), and it's hard to say any were unexpected.

The 37-year-old from rural Washington was an artist to watch as far back as 2005 when Rolling Stone noticed the strength of her self-titled debut album. By the Way, I Forgive You is her sixth studio album, and while it was produced by Dave Cobb (among others), he's not the first well-known studio pro to front the soundboard. Rick Rubin and T-Bone Burnett produced her earlier albums, which went on to earn critical acclaim and awards nominations.

Prior to her six nominations at the 2019 Grammy Awards, Carlile had earned just one previous Grammy nod. The Firewatcher's Daughter (2015) was nominated in the Best Americana Album category in 2016. Her most commercially successful album to date has been the gold-certified The Story. The title track of that album was used in several television shows and commercials.

At the 2019 Grammys, Carlile won in the Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song categories for her song "The Joke." She also won Best Americana Album for By the Way, I Forgive You and performed "The Joke."

Are you wondering what inspired "The Joke"? That's one of five questions answered here:

5 Things You Need to Know About Brandi Carlile:

 

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