Music discovery · Influence explorer

Artists like Sharon Van Etten — and the music that made them

Indie Folk · 2009-present

Haunting indie rock with raw vulnerability and soaring melodies

Sharon Van Etten is an American singer-songwriter whose deeply personal indie rock combines intimate confessions with expansive, cinematic arrangements. Her evolution from sparse folk beginnings to lush, guitar-driven anthems has established her as one of indie rock's most emotionally powerful voices.

Essential tracks

►Seventeen

►Comeback Kid

►Every Time the Sun Comes Up

Did you know

She quit music briefly to work in insurance before her breakthrough

TV composer for shows like The OA and has acted in Twin Peaks

Earned a psychology degree while pursuing her music career

“Haunting vocals weave through intimate confessions and expansive indie arrangements.”

generations
of influence

Influence tree

Trace Sharon Van Etten's roots back through history

Every sound has a source. Click any node to hear the connection.

Sharon Van Etten

2009-present

Cat Power

1995-present

cited

PJ Harvey

1991-present

sonic

Townes Van Zandt

1968-1997

cited

Joni Mitchell

1968-present

sonic

Nick Drake

1969-1974

sonic

Mazzy Star

1989-present

sonic

↑ Click any influence node to see the connection and where to start listening.

What makes the sound

Sonic elements

Hushed-to-soaring vocal dynamics

Fingerpicked acoustic guitar foundations

Lush reverb-drenched production

Confessional lyrical vulnerability

Start with these tracks

Seventeen

Every Time the Sun Comes Up

Comeback Kid

Jupiter 4

If you like Sharon Van Etten, try these

Cat Power

Shares intimate vulnerability and haunting vocal delivery over sparse arrangements.

Combines confessional songwriting with atmospheric production and emotional rawness.

2010s · Indie Folk

Julien Baker

Masters quiet-to-loud dynamics while exploring themes of addiction and recovery.

2010s · Indie Folk

PJ Harvey

Shares fearless emotional exploration and ability to reinvent sound across albums.

1990s · Alternative Rock

Mitski

Balances indie rock arrangements with deeply personal, confessional lyrics.

2010s · Indie Rock

About this page

Music like Sharon Van Etten — Sharon Van Etten is an American singer-songwriter whose deeply personal indie rock combines intimate confessions with expansive, cinematic arrangements. Her evolution from sparse folk beginnings to lush, guitar-driven anthems has established her as one of indie rock's most emotionally powerful voices.

Artists like Sharon Van Etten today include Cat Power, Angel Olsen, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker. If you enjoy Sharon Van Etten, these artists share similar sonic qualities, influences, and emotional range.

Bands like Sharon Van Etten and songs like Sharon Van Etten are among the most searched music discovery queries — rootz.guru goes deeper by tracing the roots of the sound itself, not just surface-level similarity.