Aimee Mann

File:YoungSnakesUndergroundVertical2.jpg in 1981|270x270px]]

Mann was born at the Medical College of Virginia, Richmond, on September 8, 1960.{{Cite web |last=Pelly |first=Jenn |date=2021-11-04 |title=Aimee Mann: 'I have an enormous amount of compassion for people who are struggling' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-11-04/aimee-mann-queens-of-the-summer-hotel-girl-interrupted |access-date=2021-11-09 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Singer-songwriter Aimee Mann, a Richmond native, talks about her past fame with 'Til Tuesday and her sudden resurgence with the Magnolia soundtrack. |url=https://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/singer-songwriter-aimee-mann-a-richmond-native-talks-about-her-past-fame-with-til-tuesday-and-her-sudden-resurgence-with-the-magnolia-sou/Content?oid=1385950 |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Style Weekly | date=January 1980 |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-08 |title=Milestones: September 8 birthdays for Aimee Mann, Kennedy, Pink |url=https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2020/09/08/milestones-september-8-birthdays-for-aimee-mann-kennedy-pink/ |access-date=2022-04-02 |website=Brooklyn Eagle |language=en-US}} When she was three, her mother had an affair and became pregnant{{Cite web |last=Snapes |first=Laura |date=2021-11-04 |title=Aimee Mann: 'Any woman my age is traumatised by growing up in the 60s and 70s' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/nov/04/aimee-mann-any-woman-my-age-is-traumatised-by-growing-up-in-the-60s-and-70s |access-date=2021-11-05 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} and her parents divorced. Mann was kidnapped by her mother and her new boyfriend and taken to Europe, where they traveled. Mann's father, a marketing executive, hired a private detective, who brought her back from England a year later to a new stepmother and two stepbrothers. Mann said her father seemed "like a stranger" when they were reunited. The kidnapping gave Mann post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety around travelling later in life. She did not see her mother again until she was 14. She forgave her decades later, saying her mother had been "trapped on every side".

Mann grew up in Bon Air, Virginia, and attended Midlothian High School in Chesterfield County.{{Cite news |last=Wiltz |first=Teresa |date=2001-02-18 |title=Her own Mann: independent-minded singer sheds labels |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/2001/02/18/her-own-mann-independent-minded-singer-sheds-labels/6f54e736-a133-47ef-9ecf-b6319a561465/ |access-date=2022-08-08 |issn=0190-8286}} She was withdrawn and would not talk, and her father and stepmother sent her to a psychiatrist. Her drama teacher recalled her as "kind of an insecure kid, very quiet, very introspective … When she did start talking, she was worth listening to." Mann learned to play her brother's guitar when she was confined to bed with glandular fever at the age of 12.{{Cite web |last=Barnett |first=Laura |date=2007-07-24 |title=Portrait of the artist: Aimee Mann, singer-songwriter |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/jul/24/popandrock |access-date=2021-11-07 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} As a teenager, she enjoyed David Bowie and Iggy Pop and was inspired by punk and new wave music. She said: "[It] was so interesting, so inventive – literally do whatever you want. That Patti Smith was out there and people were accepting her? Oh my God, there's a way out."

In 1978, feeling she did not fit in the "normal world", Mann enrolled in Berklee College of Music in Boston to study bass guitar.{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=James |date=2014-04-09 |title=Voices carry: Aimee Mann and Ted Leo discuss their new band and album, The Both |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/voices-carry-aimee-mann-and-ted-leo-discuss-their-new-band-and-album-both |access-date=2022-03-09 |website=Guitar World |language=en}} She had wanted to learn the bass as a child, but her family ridiculed her, saying it was unladylike.{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Dennis |date=23 June 1985 |title=Aimee Mann's voice, lyrics carry her |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-23-ca-11822-story.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028025421/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-06-23-ca-11822-story.html |archive-date=28 October 2020 |access-date=2021-11-06 |website=Los Angeles Times}} After 18 months, she dropped out and joined the Boston punk band the Young Snakes on bass. She was unhappy in the band, saying the other members objected to her writing love songs or music they considered too melodic. She joined the band Ministry, which she said helped her learn to write songs efficiently. In the early 1980s, she worked at Newbury Comics in Massachusetts.{{Cite news |last=Cavna |first=Michael |date=12 April 2022 |title=Turns out Aimee Mann is really good at painting, too |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/04/12/aimee-mann-cartoons-instagram/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-07-20 |issn=0190-8286}}

{{Main|'Til Tuesday}}

At Berklee, Mann formed a new wave band, 'Til Tuesday, with Mann on bass and vocals.{{Cite web |title=Aimee Mann |url=https://college.berklee.edu/people/aimee-mann |access-date=2022-08-08 |website=Berklee College of Music |language=en}} They signed to Epic Records and released Voices Carry, their debut album, in 1985. The single "Voices Carry" reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist='til tuesday|chart=Hot 100}}|title=Artist Chart History – 'Til Tuesday|magazine=Billboard|publisher=Nielsen Business Media|access-date=August 4, 2009}} and won that year's MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.[http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1985/mtvvmas.htm 1985 MTV Video Music Awards] Retrieved February 8, 2019. According to Mann, "Voices Carry" was one of the first songs she wrote. Stereogum described it as "an early indicator of Mann's penchant for character study, drawing outside the lines of boy-meets-girl love songs". The success made Mann an early female MTV star. The Washington Post described her as "a neo-punk pop princess, a new wave glamour girl, all doe eyes, gangly limbs and spiky bleached hair with that long, braided tail snaking out from underneath".

'Til Tuesday released Welcome Home, their second album, in 1986.{{cite web |author=Bleggi |first=Doug |date=November 21, 2018 |title='Til Today: 25 years after her solo debut, Aimee Mann looks back |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2021942/aimee-mann-early-solo-albums-interview/franchises/interview/ |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=Stereogum}} Mann sang vocals with Geddy Lee on the 1987 single "Time Stand Still" by Rush, and appeared in the music video.{{cite book|author=Strong, Martin C.|year=2000|title=The Great Rock Discography|edition=5th|publisher=MojoBooks|location=Edinburgh|page=603|isbn=1-84195-017-3}}{{cite magazine |author=James Wood |date=March 31, 2017 |title=Aimee Mann Talks New Album, 'Mental Illness,' and Working with Rush on "Time Stand Still" |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/aimee-mann-talks-new-album-mental-illness-and-working-rush-time-stand-still |magazine=Guitar World}} 'Til Tuesday released their third and final album, Everything's Different Now, in 1988, with songs influenced by Mann's breakup with the singer-songwriter Jules Shear.{{cite news |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=November 20, 1988 |title={{-'}}Til Tuesday: art from a broken heart |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-20-ca-221-story.html |access-date=2011-12-31 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times}} It demonstrated a significant development in Mann's songwriting, and included a song co-written with Elvis Costello, "The Other End of the Telescope". Everything's Different Now was a commercial failure; Mann said it had been abandoned by Epic following a change of staff.

'Til Tuesday broke up in 1990 when Mann left to start her solo career. She said later that her musical interests had changed, and that she was more interested in "acoustic guitar music" than the new wave pop of 'Til Tuesday. In 2025, Mann said: "To be honest, I was the weakest link. My vocals were super high and kind of weird and sort of punky ... I'm surprised we ever got a record deal. But it's an era where we were right in the wave of a certain sound at a certain time, and I think we did that really well for a while." Michael Hausman, the 'Til Tuesday drummer and Mann's former boyfriend, became her manager. Epic did not release Mann from her record contract for another three years, which prevented her from releasing new material. It was the first of several disputes Mann had with record labels, which Hausman said had a lasting effect on her attitude to the music industry.{{Cite news |last=Meter |first=Jonathan Van |date=1999-07-11 |title=What's a record exec to do with Aimee Mann? |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/11/magazine/what-s-a-record-exec-to-do-with-aimee-mann.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2021-11-07 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Jon Brion (cropped).jpg co-produced Mann's first three albums.]]

Mann recorded her first solo albums with the producer Jon Brion, who had been a member of the 'Til Tuesday touring band. Mann found working with Brion exciting and felt her songwriting improved with him. Together, they developed a sound that the Stereogum writer Doug Bleggi called "LA alternative". Mann's debut solo album, Whatever, was released in 1993 on the independent label Imago. It earned positive reviews but did not meet sales expectations.{{Cite web |last=Baker |first=Brian |date=1 October 2002 |title=The evolution of Aimee Mann |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/aimee-mann/the-evolution-of-aimee-mann |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Paste |language=en-US}} In 1994, Mann moved to Los Angeles.{{cite magazine |last=Nichols |first=Natalie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lV8EAAAAMBAJ&q=%22paul+thomas+anderson%22&pg=PA22 |title=The Mann Act |date=January 2000 |magazine=Los Angeles Magazine |publisher=Hour Media Group LLC |page=22 |access-date=January 22, 2012}} She also toured as part of the British band Squeeze, playing her own songs and songs by Squeeze.

After Mann finished her second album, I'm with Stupid, Imago encountered financial problems and delayed its release. Imago eventually sold it to Geffen, which signed Mann in 1994 and released I'm with Stupid in 1995. According to Pitchfork, while Mann's solo albums demonstrated she was "a witty, self-possessed songwriter", she was still failing to meet commercial expectations, with sales in the low six figures.{{Cite web|last=Berman|first=Judy|date=17 November 2019|title=Aimee Mann: Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/aimee-mann-bachelor-no-2-or-the-last-remains-of-the-dodo/|access-date=2021-11-07|website=Pitchfork|language=en}} Mann began to be seen as a relic of the 1980s.{{Cite web |last=McLevy |first=Alex |date=June 25, 2020 |title=Aimee Mann got cinematic with the gorgeous Magnolia soundtrack |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-magnolia-soundtrack-made-sweet-music-from-a-cinemat-1844139288 |access-date=2021-11-07 |website=The A.V. Club |language=en-us}} Dick Wingate, the executive who signed 'Til Tuesday to Epic, described Mann as "the model of an artist who has been chewed up and spit out by the music business". He said disappointment and bad luck had made her distrustful of record labels.

Mann recorded a cover of the 1968 song "One" by Harry Nillson for the 1995 tribute album For the Love of Harry: Everybody Sings Nilsson. She wrote "Wise Up" for the 1996 film Jerry Maguire, but the director, Cameron Crowe, felt it did not fit.{{Cite web |last=Robinson |first=Joanna |date=2015-05-28 |title=Cameron Crowe takes us on a musical tour through his filmography |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2015/05/cameron-crowe-music-interview |access-date=2022-07-31 |website=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}} It was included on the Jerry Maguire soundtrack.{{Cite magazine |last=Grad |first=David |date=10 January 1997 |title=Jerry Maguire |url=https://ew.com/article/1997/01/10/jerry-maguire-4/ |access-date=2024-01-13 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |language=en}} In 1997, Mann recorded a cover of "Nobody Does It Better", the theme song of the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, for the album Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project.{{cite web |title=11 Aimee Mann & Jon Brion "Nobody Does It Better" Lust |url=http://www.radio8ball.com/archives/11-aimee-mann-jon-brion-nobody-does-it-better-lust/ |access-date=February 8, 2019 |publisher=Radio8Ball}} Mann contributed her song "Amateur" to the film Sliding Doors{{cite news |author=Nagy |first=Rob |date=January 26, 2012 |title=Aimee Mann begins work on new release, performs at World Cafe Live, Philadelphia |work=The Mercury |url=https://www.pottsmerc.com/2012/01/26/aimee-mann-begins-work-on-new-release-performs-at-world-cafe-live-philadelphia/ |access-date=February 8, 2019}} and made a cameo in the film The Big Lebowski as a German nihilist, both released in 1998.{{cite magazine |last=Deming |first=Mark |date=September 11, 2017 |title=Live at St. Ann's Warehouse — Aimee Mann |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-st-anns-warehouse-mw0000141017 |access-date=10 March 2025 |magazine=AllMusic}}

File:LargoLA.jpg, Los Angeles, where Mann performed regularly in the 1990s]]

Later in the decade, Mann became a regular act at Largo, a Los Angeles nightclub that hosted performances from alternative songwriters including Brion, Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple and Rufus Wainwright. This shaped Mann's songwriting; Largo fit her so well that the owner jokingly nicknamed it "Aimee Mann's clubhouse".

Mann received wider recognition after she contributed songs to the 1999 film Magnolia, including "One", "Wise Up" and songs she was writing for her third album.{{cite news |last=Bessman |first=Jim |date=December 16, 1999 |title=Music Blossomed into Film |newspaper=Toronto Star}} Two songs, "Save Me" and "You Do", were written for the film. Magnolia features dialogue taken from Mann's lyrics and a sequence in which the cast sing "Wise Up". The director, Paul Thomas Anderson,{{cite news |last=Patterson |first=John |date=March 10, 2000 |title=Magnolia Maniac |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/mar/10/culture.features |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827044550/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2000/mar/10/culture.features |archive-date=August 27, 2012 |access-date=April 12, 2010 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London}} another Largo regular, said he "sat down to write an adaptation of Aimee Mann songs".

The Magnolia soundtrack was certified gold. "Save Me" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal and an Academy Award for Best Original Song; Mann performed it at the 72nd Academy Awards. In 2021, the Los Angeles Times described "Save Me" as Mann's masterpiece, which "solidified Mann's stature as an esteemed songwriter". In 2022, Pitchfork named it among the best songs of the 1990s.{{cite web |date=27 September 2022 |title=The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-songs-of-the-1990s/ |access-date=30 October 2022 |work=Pitchfork}} Mann later said the song "really gave a blood transfusion to my career. But it wasn't like I went from playing to five people to 5,000 people. It was just a real influx of energy." The success of the Magnolia soundtrack caused Mann stress, as she felt pressure to capitalize on it and tour heavily.

{{quote box

| quote = I can put out what I consider good music, with the players I want, the songs I want, the sequence I want, the artwork I want and I don't have to confer with a bunch of idiots about what they think, which is always wrong, and then to have to do this dance where you're trying to get them to think that they thought of the idea. It's just an embarrassing waste of your time. When I was on a major record label, nothing ever got done.

| source = — Mann on independence from major record labels (2008)

| align = right

| width = 27%

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}}

Mann took more control over the production of her third album, Bachelor No. 2.{{Cite web |last=Bevigila |first=Jim |date=2020-11-25 |title=Aimee Mann looks back on Bachelor No. 2 in advance of 20th anniversary reissue |url=https://americansongwriter.com/bachelor-number-two-aimee-mann-album-interview/ |access-date=2021-11-07 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}} It includes Mann's second collaboration with Elvis Costello, "The Fall of the World's Own Optimist".{{Cite magazine |last=Hornby |first=Nick |author-link=Nick Hornby |date=2000-06-04 |title=Aimee Mann's melodies for a darker mood |language=en-US |magazine=The New Yorker |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2000/06/12/its-a-manns-world |access-date=2023-12-19 |issn=0028-792X}} Geffen refused to release the album, feeling it contained no hit singles. In response, Mann sold homemade EPs of her new music on tour in 1999,{{Cite news |last=Ratliff |first=Ben |date=1999-08-10 |title=Pop review: urbane songs that express emotional embattlement |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/08/10/arts/pop-review-urbane-songs-that-express-emotional-embattlement.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |issn=0362-4331}} which she described as a "DIY fuck-you-record-company-I'm-selling-it-myself move". She accepted an offer from Geffen to leave her contract, deciding to be "in charge of her own destiny".

In 1999, Mann and Hausman formed their own label, SuperEgo Records.{{Cite news |last=Nagy |first=Evie |date=2008-05-23 |title=Singer-songwriter still her own Mann with DIY model |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/music-mann-dc-idUKN2329180220080523 |access-date=2022-07-17}} With Mann's husband, the songwriter Michael Penn, they also established United Musicians, a collective working outside the major label system.{{Cite web |last=Leopold |first=Todd |date=25 April 2007 |title=Musician finds second act — and second life |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/25/michael.penn/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=CNN}} Using the money earned through royalties from Magnolia, Mann bought the Bachelor No. 2 masters from Geffen. She sold 25,000 copies of the album via mail order from her website, a large amount for an independent artist.{{Cite web |last=Deusner |first=Stephen |date=2020-05-01 |title=Aimee Mann's Bachelor No. 2 turns 20 |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2082997/aimee-mann-bachelor-no-2-review/reviews/the-anniversary/ |access-date=2021-11-07 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} After she secured a distribution deal, Bachelor No. 2 sold 270,000 copies, outperforming I'm with Stupid. Bachelor No. 2 became the 28th-best-reviewed album of the decade, according to the aggregation website Metacritic.{{cite web |author=Dietz |first=Jason |date=December 15, 2009 |title=The best music of the decade |url=http://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-music-of-the-decade?page=1 |website=Metacritic |publisher= |accessdate=May 23, 2013}} The success established Mann as a career artist who could work outside of the major label system.

In 2000, Mann, Penn and the comedian Patton Oswalt performed together on the Acoustic Vaudeville tour.{{Cite web |last=Hochman |first=Steve |date=2000-05-20 |title=Mann & Penn: a pleasing mix of laughter, musical melancholy |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-may-20-ca-31963-story.html |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} In 2001, Mann sued Universal Music over the release of a greatest-hits compilation, The Ultimate Collection, which she had not authorized and considered "substandard and misleading".{{Cite news|date=2001-09-18|title=Aimee Mann sues over hits|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1550218.stm|access-date=2021-11-08}} The Boston Globe characterized the lawsuit as one of several challenges to major labels by female musicians that year, including Courtney Love and the Dixie Chicks.{{Cite news |last=Sharp |first=Kathleen |date=7 October 2001 |title=Recording artists sue, aiming to rock industry action expected to put big labels under scrutiny |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.aimeemanninprint.com/2001/bg100701.htm}} That year, Mann was a judge at the inaugural Annual Independent Music Awards, an award for promoting independent musicians.{{cite web |date=May 27, 2009 |title=She & Him, the Black Keys, Mark Hoppus, Aimee Mann and Bettye LaVette join judging panel for the 9th annual independent music awards |url=http://top40-charts.com/news.php?nid=48785 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=Top40Charts |publisher=}}{{cite web|title=Independent Music Awards – Past Judges|url=http://independentmusicawards.com/past-ima-judges/|access-date=February 8, 2019|publisher=Independent Music Awards}} She judged the awards again in 2011.

Following the success of Magnolia and Bachelor No. 2, Mann had a mental breakdown and entered a period of depression. She also had intrusive thoughts resulting from an accident when the car of a drunk driver flipped her tour bus. In 2002, she entered the Sierra Tucson rehabilitation center with anxiety and depression, and PTSD triggered by her kidnapping as a child.

Mann referenced her health problems obliquely in her fourth album, Lost in Space, released in August 2002.{{Cite web |last=Dahlen |first=Chris |date=25 April 2022 |title=Aimee Mann: Lost in Space |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/5083-lost-in-space/ |access-date=2021-11-08 |website=Pitchfork |language=en}} Paste described it as "another marvelous collection of Mann's intimate portraits of lost love and broken people, all set to a wry pop soundtrack that often lilts at the precise moment that one would expect dour melancholy".

In November 2004, Mann released Live at St. Ann's Warehouse, a live album recorded in Brooklyn, New York City. That year, she appeared in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, performing "This Is How It Goes" and "Pavlov's Bell", and on The West Wing, performing a cover of James Taylor's "Shed a Little Light".{{cite magazine |date=October 6, 2012 |title=Mann, Barenaked Ladies to Rock West Wing |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/74009/mann-barenaked-ladies-to-rock-west-wing |access-date=February 8, 2019 |magazine=Billboard}} Mann sang on "That's Me Trying", cowritten and produced by Ben Folds, from William Shatner's 2004 album Has Been.{{cite news |author=Lockwood |first=Rod |date=October 24, 2004 |title=CD reviews: Shatner shows that as performer, he is a swell spaceship captain |url=https://www.toledoblade.com/Music-Theater-Dance/2004/10/24/CD-reviews-Shatner-shows-that-as-performer-he-is-a-swell-spaceship-captain.html |access-date=February 8, 2019 |work=The Blade}}

File:Aimee Mann October 2005.jpg, 2005]]

In May 2005, Mann released The Forgotten Arm, a concept album set in the 1970s about two lovers who go on the run.{{Cite web |last=Sims |first=Dave |date=March 31, 2005 |title=Aimee Mann – The Forgotten Arm |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/aimee-mann/aimee-mann-the-forgotten-arm |website=Paste}} It was produced by Joe Henry and recorded mostly live in the studio. The album artwork won a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.{{cite news|title=Complete list of 2006 Grammy winners|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/music/bal-grammys-winners0209-htmlstory.html|access-date=February 8, 2019|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=February 9, 2006}} Though The Forgotten Arm received generally positive reviews,{{Citation |title=The Forgotten Arm by Aimee Mann |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-forgotten-arm/aimee-mann/critic-reviews |access-date=2024-09-23 |publisher=Metacritic |language=en}} the AV Club felt Mann's work was becoming formulaic.{{Cite web |last=Rabin |first=Nathan |date=3 May 2005 |title=Aimee Mann: The Forgotten Arm |url=https://www.avclub.com/aimee-mann-the-forgotten-arm-1798200640 |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=The AV Club |language=en-US}}

In October 2006, Mann released One More Drifter in the Snow, a Christmas album featuring covers and new songs. It was the first of several albums produced by Mann's bassist, Paul Bryan. Mann said she did not enjoy Christmas songs that use modern genres, and instead drew inspiration from classic Christmas records by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee and the Vince Guaraldi Trio.{{Cite web|last=Schwartz|first=Greg M.|date=2007-01-23|title=One More Drifter in the Snow: An interview with Aimee Mann|url=https://www.popmatters.com/one-more-drifter-in-the-snow-an-interview-with-aimee-mann-2495785735.html|access-date=2021-11-09|website=PopMatters|language=en-US}}

That year, Mann began an annual tradition of playing Christmas shows combining music and comedy. Guests have included Oswalt, Jeff Goldblum, Grant-Lee Phillips, Nellie McKay and Rich Sommer.{{Cite web |last=Williamson |first=LJ |date=8 December 2011 |title=Aimee Mann's Christmas show for people who don't really like Christmas |url=https://www.laweekly.com/aimee-manns-christmas-show-for-people-who-dont-really-like-christmas/ |website=LA Weekly}} Mann described it as a "Christmas show for people who don't really like Christmas". In 2007, Mann contributed two original songs, "The Great Beyond" and "At the Edge of the World", to the soundtrack to the film Arctic Tale.{{cite web |date=July 16, 2007 |title=Arctic Tale soundtrack hits on July 31st |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/07/16/arctic-tale-soundtrack-hits-on-july-31st |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=IGN}} She also contributed vocals to "Unforgiven" on John Doe's album A Year in the Wilderness.{{cite web |author=Adrian Cepeda |date=November 12, 2007 |title=John Doe: A Year in the Wilderness |url=https://www.treblezine.com/reviews/john-doe-a-year-in-the-wilderness/ |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=Treblezine}}

In June 2008, Mann released her seventh album, @#%&*! Smilers. It features minimal electric guitar and an emphasis on keyboards.{{Cite web |last=Chelin |first=Pamela |date=2008-06-02 |title=For singer-songwriter, it's every Mann for herself |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2008/06/02/for_singersongwriter_its_every_mann_for_herself.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=Toronto Star |language=en}} It debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 32 and on the Top Independent Albums chart at number 2.[{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=aimee mann|chart=all}} "Aimee Mann{{spaced ndash}} Chart History"]. Billboard. @#%&*! Smilers received mostly positive reviews,{{Cite web |title=@#%&*! Smilers by Aimee Mann reviews and tracks — Metacritic |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/!-smilers/aimee-mann |website=Metacritic}} with AllMusic writing that it "pops with color, something that gives it an immediacy that's rare for an artist known for songs that subtly worm their way into the subconscious ... Smilers grabs a listener, never making him or her work at learning the record, as there are both big pop hooks and a rich sonic sheen."{{cite web |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |title=@#%&*! Smilers |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r1383932|pure_url=yes}} |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=AllMusic}} The artwork, by Gary Taxali, was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package.{{Cite web |title=51st annual Grammy awards |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/51st-annual-grammy-awards |access-date=2022-04-29 |website=Grammy Awards}}

In May 2011, Mann performed for President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at a poetry seminar at the White House.{{cite web |author=Schulman |first=Kori |date=May 11, 2011 |title=A Celebration of American Poetry at the White House |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2011/05/11/celebration-american-poetry-white-house |access-date=February 8, 2019 |website=obamawhitehouse.com}} She also appeared in a sketch for the Independent Film Channel series Portlandia. Mann played herself as a cleaner, explaining that she needs the second job to support herself.{{Cite web |last=Hartsell |first=Carol |date=2011-02-05 |title=Aimee Mann, Sarah McLachlan on Portlandia |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/aimee-mann-sarah-mclachlan-portlandia_n_819086 |access-date=2022-06-27 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}}

In 2012, Mann released her eighth solo album, Charmer, comprising songs based on the theme that personal charm should not always be trusted. One song, "Crazytown", is about an alcoholic "manic pixie dream girl".{{cite news |author=Gritten |first=David |date=January 24, 2013 |title=Aimee Mann interview: 'I don't make money from Spotify' |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/9822192/Aimee-Mann-interview-I-dont-make-money-from-Spotify.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/9822192/Aimee-Mann-interview-I-dont-make-money-from-Spotify.html |archive-date=January 12, 2022}}{{cbignore}} Two singles were released: "Charmer", with a music video directed by Tom Scharpling, and "Labrador", with a video featuring the actor Jon Hamm and references to Mann's music videos with 'Til Tuesday.{{cite news |author=Eakin |first=Marah |date=September 18, 2012 |title=Aimee Mann remakes "Voices Carry" with help from Ted Leo, Jon Hamm, Tom Scharpling, and Jon Wurster |website=The A.V. Club |url=https://www.avclub.com/aimee-mann-remakes-voices-carry-with-help-from-ted-le-1798233472 |access-date=February 8, 2019}} In the same year, Mann contributed vocals to Steve Vai's album The Story of Light on "No More Amsterdam" and recorded the song "Two Horses" for the soundtrack of the film Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie.{{cite news |last1=Gilsdorf |first1=Ethan |date=March 2, 2012 |title=Tim and Eric's Billion Dollar Movie |newspaper=Boston.com |url=http://archive.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2012/03/02/tim_and_erics_billion_dollar_movie_is_so_gross_its_sometimes_very_funny/ |access-date=February 8, 2019}} Mann sang backing vocals on the 2013 Heidecker & Wood album Some Things Never Stay the Same.{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Randall |date=2013-11-12 |title=Album review: Heidecker & Wood's Some Things Never Stay the Same |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-xpm-2013-nov-12-la-et-ms-heidecker-woods-some-things-never-stay-the-same-review-20131112-story.html |accessdate=2024-07-11 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |issn=2165-1736 |oclc=3638237}}

File:The Both Philadelphia May 3 2014.png as the Both in Philadelphia, 2014]]

In 2013, Mann appeared on the Ivan & Alyosha album All the Times We Had.{{cite magazine |last1=Morin |first1=Natalie |date=June 21, 2012 |title=Listen: Ivan & Alyosha, 'All the Times We Had' Aimee Mann joins quartet in this single from their debut album |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/listen-ivan-alyosha-all-the-times-we-had-180128/ |access-date=March 27, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} In February, she and Ted Leo formed a duo, the Both, and performed shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco.{{cite web|author=Adams, Gregory|url=http://exclaim.ca/News/ted_leo_aimee_mann_team_up_as_both|title=Ted Leo and Aimee Mann Team Up as #BOTH|work=Exclaim!|date=February 21, 2013|access-date=February 8, 2019}} They released an album on SuperEgo in April 2014; Spin described it as "the best thing either artist has ever done".{{Cite web |last=Weiss |first=Dan |date=7 April 2014 |title=Ted Leo and Aimee Mann Double Your Power-Pop Pleasure as the Both |url=https://www.spin.com/2014/04/the-both/ |access-date=12 February 2024 |website=Spin}} On July 22, Mann filed a lawsuit against MediaNet, saying they were distributing 120 of her songs on an expired license agreement.{{cite web |author=Gardner |first=Eriq |date=July 23, 2013 |title=Aimee Mann Files Huge Copyright Lawsuit Over Digital Music (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/aimee-mann-files-huge-copyright-590747 |access-date=February 8, 2019 |work=The Hollywood Reporter}} She attempted to claim as much as $18 million in statutory damages.{{cite web |author=Owsinski |first=Bobby |date=August 13, 2013 |title=Aimee Mann Sues an Invisible Distributor |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2013/08/13/aimee-mann-sues-an-invisible-distributor/ |access-date=February 8, 2019 |work=Forbes}} Mann settled out of court in 2015.{{Cite magazine |last=Schneider |first=Marc |date=2015-02-11 |title=Aimee Mann drops lawsuit against MediaNet |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/aimee-mann-drops-lawsuit-against-medianet/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2022-08-08 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}

In February 2014, Mann appeared in an episode of the animated series Steven Universe as the voice of a female warrior, Opal.{{cite news|author=Evan Minsker|date=July 27, 2014|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/56054-nicki-minaj-and-aimee-mann-voice-giant-gem-warriors-in-cartoon-networks-steven-universe/?verso=true|title=Nicki Minaj and Aimee Mann Voice Giant Gem Warriors in Cartoon Network's "Steven Universe"|access-date=February 8, 2019}} She reprised the role for Steven Universe: The Movie (2019), performing the song "Independent Together" with Leo.{{Cite news |last=Trumbore |first=Dave |date=July 9, 2019 |title=First poster for Steven Universe the Movie reveals the looming threat |language=en-US |work=Collider |url=http://collider.com/steven-universe-movie-poster/ |access-date=July 20, 2019}} Mann contributed a version of Styx's "Come Sail Away" to the 2014 Community episode "Geothermal Escapism".{{cite web |author=VanDerWerff |first=Emily |date=January 23, 2014 |title=Community: 'Geothermal Escapism' |url=http://www.avclub.com/review/geothermal-escapism-107194 |access-date=July 27, 2019 |website=The A.V. Club}} In 2015, Mann and Leo appeared on the talk show Conan performing a song in support of the 2016 US presidential candidate Lincoln Chafee.{{cite magazine |author=Daniel Kreps |date=August 22, 2015 |title=Watch Conan O'Brien, Aimee Mann, Ted Leo Stump for Lincoln Chafee |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/tv/tv-news/watch-conan-obrien-aimee-mann-ted-leo-stump-for-lincoln-chafee-71780/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 8, 2019}} Mann covered the 1973 Carpenters single "Yesterday Once More" for a 2016 episode of the HBO drama Vinyl.{{cite web |author=Ben Kaye |date=February 22, 2016 |title=Natalie Prass played Karen Carpenter on last night's episode of Vinyl |url=https://consequence.net/2016/02/natalie-prass-played-karen-carpenter-on-last-nights-episode-of-vinyl/ |access-date=February 8, 2019 |work=Consequence of Sound}} In October 2016, Mann released the song "Can't You Tell" as part of the 30 Days, 30 Songs campaign protesting the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.{{cite news|title='Isn't anybody going to stop me?' 30 songs protesting a President Trump|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/oct/19/anti-trump-30-days-30-songs-project-musicians|author=Jim Farber|date=October 19, 2016|access-date=February 8, 2019}}

In March 2017, Mann released her ninth solo album, Mental Illness, a collection of sparse acoustic songs featuring collaborations with the songwriters Jonathan Coulton and John Roderick.{{Cite web |last=Torres |first=Eric |date=2020-11-24 |title=Aimee Mann on the music that made her |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/aimee-mann-on-the-music-that-made-her/ |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Dorfman |first=Craig |date=2017-05-24 |title=Aimee Mann and Jonathan Coulton bring pristine pop, self-deprecation to Portland, OR |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/aimee-mann-and-jonathan-coulton-bring-pristine-pop/ |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Paste |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |date=2017-03-18 |title=Aimee Mann talks about new solo effort Mental Illness: 'You're not in a cool rock band — you're in a cool soft band. Embrace the soft.' |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/03/17/aimee-mann-talks-about-new-solo-effort-mental-illness-youre-not-in-a-cool-rock-band-youre-in-a-cool-soft-band-embrace-the-soft/ |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Salon |language=en}} The title was suggested by a friend; Mann said it was a "bald, accurate and funny" description of her songwriting themes.{{Cite web |last1=Edes |first1=Alyssa |last2=McEvers |first2=Kelly |date=4 April 2017 |title='I think it's hard to be a person': Aimee Mann on compassionate songwriting |url=https://www.npr.org/2017/04/04/522238448/i-think-its-hard-to-be-a-person-aimee-mann-on-compassionate-songwriting |access-date=23 December 2024 |website=NPR}} Mental Illness won the Grammy Award for Best Folk Album at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.{{cite magazine |author=Atkinson, Katie |date=January 28, 2018 |title=Grammys 2018 Winners: The Complete List |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/grammys/8096569/grammys-2018-winners-list |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 8, 2019}} Coulton joined Mann for some performances on the Mental Illness tour.

That September, Mann contributed the song "Everybody Bleeds" to an episode of the Netflix series Big Mouth.{{cite news|url=http://www.montgomerynews.com/entertainment/concert-preview-aimee-mann-doing-things-on-her-own-terms/article_e5428fdc-28e2-5267-bf52-79f480cc5363.html|author=Rob Nagy|title=CONCERT PREVIEW: Aimee Mann doing things on her own terms. Appears at the Colonial in Phoenixville|work=Montgomery News|date=December 6, 2017|access-date=February 8, 2019}} In January 2018, Mann appeared in an episode of the FX series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story as a bar singer, performing the 1984 Cars song "Drive".{{cite news |author=Schaffstall |first=Katherine |date=February 4, 2019 |title=Mary Poppins Returns Composer Marc Shaiman to Receive Music Supervisors Guild's Icon Award |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/marc-shaiman-icon-honoree-award-music-supervisors-guild-awards-2019-1182328 |access-date=February 8, 2019}} She also appeared in the sitcom Corporate in the episode "The Pain of Being Alive".{{cite magazine |author=Saraiya |first=Sonia |date=January 17, 2018 |title=TV Review: 'Corporate' on Comedy Central |url=https://variety.com/2018/tv/reviews/corporate-comedy-central-tv-review-1202667308/ |magazine=Variety}} In 2019, Mann released an expanded 20th-anniversary reissue of Bachelor No. 2 for Record Store Day.{{Cite web|last=Willman|first=Chris|date=2020-11-27|title=Aimee Mann on the 'stubbornness' that led to Bachelor No. 2, an indie landmark being reissued for Record Store Day|url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/aimee-mann-bachelor-no-2-record-store-day-vinyl-interview-1234840945/|access-date=2022-02-14|website=Variety|language=en-US}} She also hosted a podcast with Leo, The Art of Process, interviewing celebrities including Wyatt Cenac and Rebecca Sugar.{{cite news |author=Sam Barsanti |date=January 28, 2019 |title=Ted Leo and Aimee Mann interview Wyatt Cenac on the first episode of their new podcast |website=The A.V. Club |url=https://www.avclub.com/ted-leo-and-aimee-mann-interview-wyatt-cenac-on-the-fir-1832137066 |access-date=February 8, 2019}}

File:Aimee Mann With Jonathan Coulton - London Palladium - Thursday 26th October 2017 AimeeMannPall261017-2 (37908951386).jpg in London, 2017]]

In 2020, Mann wrote a song, "Big Deal", for the animated series Central Park, performed by Stanley Tucci.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2020-05-29 |title=Apple TV Plus series Central Park taps Sara Bareilles, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Meghan Trainor as songwriters |url=https://variety.com/2020/music/news/apple-series-central-park-sara-bareilles-aimee-mann-fiona-apple-1234620028/ |access-date=2022-07-11 |website=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |language=en-US}} On November 5, 2021, Mann released her tenth album, Queens of the Summer Hotel. It features songs inspired by Girl, Interrupted, the 1993 memoir by Susanna Kaysen about her time in a psychiatric hospital. Mann had developed the songs for a musical based on the memoir with the producers Barbara Broccoli and Frederick Zollo, which was canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In January 2022, Mann began posting autobiographical comics on Instagram. She said that making comics was similar to songwriting: "Having a short amount of time to make a point or to tell a little story ... It's by necessity very truncated."{{Cite web |last=Zaleski |first=Annie |date=2023-01-06 |title='It's a tool, it's a Swiss Army knife': Aimee Mann on how individuals deal with trauma through art |url=https://www.salon.com/2023/01/06/aimee-mann-straw-into-gold-audible/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=Salon |language=en}} She described making comics as a "weird, lonely, insular drive-yourself-crazy activity", unlike the communal nature of music. In 2025, Mann said she was working on a graphic memoir, which she expects to take several years.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2025-05-16 |title=Aimee Mann on being 'freaked out' at reuniting 'Til Tuesday after 35 years for a single gig at LA's Cruel World festival |url=https://variety.com/2025/music/news/aimee-mann-til-tuesday-reunion-cruel-world-festival-interview-1236401135/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}

In April 2022, Mann displayed a series of her paintings, You Could Have Been a Roosevelt, at City Winery, Manhattan. The paintings are portraits of "the ten worst US presidents" and a selection of first ladies. Mann created them after promising her friend, the politician Antony Blinken, a painting for his White House office.{{Cite web |last=Bloom |first=Madison |date=2022-04-14 |title=Aimee Mann announces first solo art show |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/aimee-mann-announces-first-solo-art-show/ |access-date=2022-07-20 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}} She said that Blinken "declined to have a portrait of Millard Fillmore on his wall, and I can't say I blame him". On May 22, Mann led a lineup of women performers at the Novo club in Los Angeles, raising funds for the Magee Women's Institute.{{Cite web |last=Youngmann |first=Sam |date=2022-05-11 |title=Aimee Mann on overturning Roe v Wade: 'Women just won't fucking put up with it anymore' |url=https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/aimee-mann-on-overturning-roe-v-wade-women-just-wont-f-cking-put-up-with-it-anymore/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=Los Angeles Magazine |language=en-US}}

Mann was dropped from a supporting slot on Steely Dan's 2022 tour. Donald Fagen, the co-founder of Steely Dan, denied rumors that he felt a female singer-songwriter would not suit their audience, and instead said Mann was not a good musical fit. He apologized, saying he respected Mann and did not realize any commitment had been made. Mann accepted the apology and said it was plausible that Fagen did not know she had been announced for the tour.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2022-04-19 |title=Aimee Mann has so forgiven Donald Fagen, she's covering Steely Dan's 'Brooklyn' on tour |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/aimee-mann-has-so-forgiven-donald-fagen-shes-covering-steely-dans-brooklyn-on-tour-1235235562/ |access-date=2022-07-03 |website=Variety |publisher=Penske Media Corporation |language=en-US}} She covered the Steely Dan song "Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)" on tour that year.

In January 2023, Mann launched an Audible podcast, Straw into Gold, in which she interviewed artists about the connection between art and trauma. In January 2025, she organized a fundraiser for her longtime producer, Paul Bryan, who lost his home and recording studio in the Palisades Fire.{{Cite web |last=Swindall |first=Andrea |date=2025-01-18 |title=Musician loses home and work studio in LA fires |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/musician-loses-home-studio-la-010003552.html?guccounter=1 |access-date=2025-01-26 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Mishkin |first=Kate |date=2025-01-25 |title=Los Angeles musicians lost homes, studios and instruments: 'A part of you is gone' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jan/25/la-fires-musicians |access-date=2025-01-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} On 6 March, Mann announced a remastered reissue of Lost in Space, with a US anniversary tour due to start in June.{{Cite web |last=Hatfield |first=Amanda |date=2025-03-05 |title=Aimee Mann announces Lost in Space anniversary tour with Jonathan Coulton |url=https://www.brooklynvegan.com/aimee-mann-announces-lost-in-space-anniversary-tour-with-jonathan-coulton/ |access-date=2025-03-06 |website=BrooklynVegan |language=en-US}} On 17 May, Mann reunited with 'Til Tuesday for their first show in 33 years at the Cruel World Festival in Pasadena.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Abby |date=2025-05-18 |title=Watch 'Til Tuesday reunite for first show in 33 years at Cruel World |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2308484/watch-til-tuesday-reunite-for-first-show-in-33-years-at-cruel-world/news/ |access-date=2025-05-19 |website=Stereogum |language=en}} Mann said she enjoyed the challenge of preparing for the performance, and had to relearn how to sing the songs, as her singing style had changed.

File:Paul Bryan .jpg has produced several of Mann's albums.]]

Pitchfork characterized Mann's music as "refined guitar pop filled with attuned details and characters more often associated with the best short stories". The journalist Jon Pareles described Mann as a "formalist of pop songwriting" whose "verses, choruses and bridges arrive in their proper places and melodies trace a measured, symmetrical rise and fall".{{Cite news |last=Pareles |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Pareles |date=2017-03-29 |title=Aimee Mann traces elegant despair on Mental Illness |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/arts/music/aimee-mann-mental-illness-review.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2021-11-09 |issn=0362-4331}} The New York Times critic Ben Ratliff wrote of Mann's "urbane pop songs, melodically rich and full of well-worn sayings fitted into spiky couplets". Mann said songwriting was "an exercise in order... To attempt to describe something — to make connections, to put pieces together, to try to sum up complicated ideas in a three-and-a-half minute song — that's trying to put chaos in order for me."

Mann played the bass guitar with the Young Snakes, 'Til Tuesday and the Both. For her own shows, she generally plays acoustic guitar, finding it "more convenient". On her first solo albums, Mann and the producer Jon Brion created a sound the Stereogum writer Doug Bleggi called "LA alternative". The style is associated with turn-of-the-century alternative acts such as Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith, Rufus Wainwright and Eels, all of whom worked with Brion in the 1990s. Several of Mann's later albums were produced by Paul Bryan.{{Cite web |last=Kennedy |first=Mark |date=2021-11-02 |title=Aimee Mann turns the novel Girl, Interrupted into songs |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/new-york-queens-mental-illness-robert-lowell-sylvia-plath-b1949942.html |access-date=2023-12-19 |website=The Independent |language=en}}

In the 1990s, Mann came under pressure from her record company, Geffen, to write hit singles, which she found frustrating. When she attempted to write catchy and lyrically accessible songs, she became bored and could not finish them. She felt that record companies attempted to "remove everything that's interesting" from her songs, and concluded: "My music is not going to sell outside a certain audience, so why not leave it alone so you don't alienate the people who actually like it?" Mann said she was not interested in being a pop star, and said: "It takes a special skill to be a big star and I just don't have those skills, so there isn't much point in me pretending."{{Cite web |date=8 September 2020 |title=Happy 60th Birthday Aimee Mann: Revisiting A Classic Interview |url=https://www.hotpress.com/music/happy-60th-birthday-aimee-mann-revisiting-classic-interview-22827171 |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=Hot Press}}

Writing for the New Yorker in 2000, Nick Hornby wrote that Mann was "a fine, occasionally brilliant singer-songwriter, nothing more, nothing less, and this plainness of purpose has cost her dearly over the last fifteen, mostly calamitous, years". He said she had not found wider success as she did not meet expectations for female singer-songwriters: "She is not one of the lads, like Sheryl Crow; she is outspoken rather than introspective, which means that she has little in common with the Carole King school; and she is much too grown-up and circumspect to want to bare her pain in the way that Tori Amos and Fiona Apple do." In 2004, the Stylus critic Ryan Hardy wrote that Mann may be the archetypal "critically acclaimed, commercially unsuccessful singer-songwriter with a cult following". He wrote that, like musicians such as Lucinda Williams, Neil Finn and Ron Sexsmith, she had come close to major success, had problems with the record industry and made a living despite a lack of public profile or radio play thanks to her devoted fanbase.{{Cite web |last=Hardy |first=Ryan |date=21 May 2010 |title=Aimee Mann — Live at St. Ann's Warehouse — review |url=http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/aimee-mann/live-at-st-anns-warehouse.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120510113758/http://stylusmagazine.com/reviews/aimee-mann/live-at-st-anns-warehouse.htm |archive-date=10 May 2012 |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=Stylus Magazine}}

In 2006, Paste named Mann the 54th-greatest living songwriter, and NPR named her among the ten greatest living songwriters.{{cite news |last=Hilton |first=Robin |date=July 5, 2006 |title=The best living songwriters |website=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5536035 |access-date=February 8, 2019}}{{Cite web |date=June 8, 2006 |title=Paste's 100 Best Living Songwriters: The List |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/pastes-100-best-living-songwriters-the-list |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Paste |language=en-US}} Robin Hilton of NPR wrote that she was "vastly underrated" and had "a real gift for piercing the heart of something, revealing instead of telling and wrapping it all up in inspired melodies".

Mann is noted for her sharp and literate lyrics. She said she admires precision in lyrics and that she liked rhymes that are "perfect and interesting". She explores dark subjects such as mental illness and suicide, and writes about underdog characters who are lost, lonely or exist outside of society. In Pitchfork, Chris Dahlen wrote of Mann's skill in writing about dark subjects without self-pity, and in using specific imagery to carry general meanings. Another Pitchfork writer, Eric Torres, attributed Mann's penchant for underdog characters to her struggles in the music industry. In Paste, Dave Sims wrote that "Mann's first-person protagonists invariably find themselves on the raw end of a doomed romance, ducking out under a smokescreen of half-mumbled mea culpas and a cloud of fatalism".

Mann combines sad music and themes with humorous or sarcastic lyrics to create the sense of a narrator trying to hide their feelings. She felt this was sadder than simply stating the feelings directly.{{Cite web |last=Benitez-Eves |first=Tina |date=2023-01-06 |title=Aimee Mann explores the 'therapy' of music on new Audible podcast Straw Into Gold (Exclusive Clip) |url=https://americansongwriter.com/aimee-mann-explores-the-therapy-of-music-on-new-audible-podcast-straw-into-gold-exclusive-clip/ |access-date=2023-01-08 |website=American Songwriter |language=en-US}} She said: "I'm sure I'm the only person who thinks any lines or any moments are funny, but that's usually because they're the most accurate and bleak ones." In the New York Times, Nate Chinen wrote that "the sugarcoated poison pill is a reliable device for Aimee Mann, a singer-songwriter given to ravaging implication and dispassionate affect".{{Cite news |last1=Pareles |first1=Jon |last2=Ratliff |first2=Ben |last3=Chinen |first3=Nate |date=2012-09-17 |title=Music From Pink, Dwight Yoakam and Aimee Mann |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/18/arts/music/albums-from-pink-dwight-yoakam-and-aimee-mann.html |access-date=2022-07-11 |issn=0362-4331}} Paul Thomas Anderson wrote that Mann was "the great articulator of the biggest things we think about: 'How can anyone love me?' 'Why the hell would anyone love me?' and the old favorite 'Why would I love anyone when all it means is torture?'"

Many of the lyrics on Mann's 90s albums express her frustration with her record label, Geffen. Hornby noted that some found Mann's "self-righteous sense of grievance" irritating, such as the author Greil Marcus, who wrote that she was "still whining after all these years". Hornby responded that pop music could express any mood and asked: "Who doesn't feel like whining sometimes?"

Mann said she was mainly influenced by "classic" 1970s chord progressions and melodies. Elton John was the artist who was most important to her at an early age: "His melody, the chords, his singing ... There was something in the DNA of his melodic structure that I picked up on later and was influenced by."{{Cite web |last=Mann |first=Aimee |date=2014-11-25 |title=Aimee Mann: 'I was under the impression that if I became well known, I would have to back up every line' |url=https://www.salon.com/2014/11/25/aimee_mann_i_was_under_the_impression_that_if_i_became_well_known_i_would_have_to_back_up_every_line/ |access-date=2022-03-20 |website=Salon |language=en}}

Mann said Steely Dan was "the one band that I 100% love, with no reservations", and cited Fiona Apple, Leonard Cohen, Stephen Sondheim and Jimmy Webb as artists she admires. The music of Elliott Smith affirmed to her that it was acceptable to write songs about personal or dark subjects. Mann said that American Songbook standards and ragtime had "resonance" for her. Older British bands such as the Kinks, the Zombies and Squeeze influenced her debut album, Whatever.

According to the musician Al Jourgensen of the band Ministry, he and Mann had a brief "dysfunctional" romance in Boston in the 1970s or 1980s.{{Cite magazine |last=Prato |first=Greg |date=2013-07-08 |title=Ministry's Al Jourgensen tells all in new autobiography |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/ministry-frontman-al-jourgensen-on-his-sex-and-drugs-heavy-new-autobiography-238890/ |access-date=2022-03-21 |magazine=Rolling Stone}} Mann wrote "No More Crying" about their relationship.{{cite news |last=Fricke |first=David |author-link=David Fricke |date=November 22, 1985 |title=Boston Band 'Til Tuesday Leaving Nothing To Chance |work=Sun Sentinel |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1985-11-22-8502220458-story.html |accessdate=April 27, 2023}} Mann had a two-year relationship with the singer-songwriter Jules Shear,{{cite book |title=The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music |date=1997 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=1-85227-745-9 |editor=Colin Larkin |editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |edition=Concise |pages=1180/1}} and their breakup influenced the final 'Til Tuesday album, Everything's Different Now (1988). Mann dated the 'Til Tuesday drummer Michael Hausman; after they separated, they remained friends and Hausman became her manager. The actor and comedian Dave Foley said Mann wrote "Save Me" about him while they were in a relationship.{{Cite web |last1=Seel |first1=Steve |author-link=Steve Seel |last2=Dave |first2=Foley |author-link2=Dave Foley |date=15 November 2012 |title=Theft of the Dial: Dave Foley |url=https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2012/11/15/dave-foley-theft-of-the-dial |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=The Current |language=en}}

In 1993, while Mann was recording Whatever, she met the songwriter Michael Penn, the brother of the actors Sean Penn and Chris Penn. They married in 1997 and live in Los Angeles. Mann said about Penn: "He's really a top-rated songwriter for me, and thank God, because how sad is it if you were with another singer-songwriter and you're like, 'Yeah, whatever, it's not my kind of thing'?"

In 2008, Mann said she had attended Al-Anon, a support group for the families and friends of alcoholics, to deal with the exhaustion she felt from trying to help addicts she knew. In 2020, she developed a nervous system disorder that gave her tinnitus, migraines, nausea and dizziness and prevented her from listening to music for a year. She believed the disorder was triggered by a combination of childhood trauma and the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

{{Main|Aimee Mann discography}}

• Whatever (1993)
• I'm with Stupid (1995)
• Bachelor No. 2 or, the Last Remains of the Dodo (2000)
• Lost in Space (2002)
• The Forgotten Arm (2005)
• One More Drifter in the Snow (2006)
• @#%&*! Smilers (2008)
• Charmer (2012)
• Mental Illness (2017)
• Queens of the Summer Hotel (2021)

Grammy Awards

{{award table}}

|-

|rowspan=3|2001

|Magnolia

|Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

|{{nom}}

|-

|rowspan=2|"Save Me"

|Best Song Written for Visual Media

|{{nom}}

|-

|Best Female Pop Vocal Performance

|{{nom}}

|-

|2006

|The Forgotten Arm

|Best Recording Package

|{{won}}

|-

|2009

|Fucking Smilers

|Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

|{{nom}}

|-

|2018

|Mental Illness

|Best Folk Album

|{{won}}

{{end}}

Other awards

{| class=wikitable

|-

!Year!!Awards!!Work!!Category!!Result

|-

|1985

|American Video Awards

|"Voices Carry"

|Best Female Performance

|{{won}}

|-

|rowspan=7|2000

|Academy Awards

|rowspan=7|"Save Me"

|Best Original Song

|{{nom}}

|-

|Golden Globe Awards

|Best Original Song

|{{nom}}

|-

|Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards

|rowspan=3|Best Original Song

|{{nom}}

|-

|Online Film & Television Association

|{{nom}}

|-

|Satellite Awards

|{{nom}}

|-

|rowspan=2|MTV Video Music Awards

|Best Video from a Film

|{{nom}}

|-

|Best Editing

|{{won}}

|-

|2006

|PLUG Awards

|The Forgotten Arm

|Album Art/Packaging of the Year

|{{nom}}

|-

|2013

|rowspan=2|A2IM Libera Awards

|Charmer

|Creative Packaging Award

|{{nom}}

|-

|2018

|Mental Illness

|Best American Roots & Folk Album

|{{won}}

|-

| rowspan=2|2022

| rowspan=2|Denmark GAFFA Awards

| Herself

| Best Foreign Solo Act

| {{pending}}{{Cite web|url=https://gaffa.dk/prisen/afstemningen|title=GAFFA-PRISEN 2022 | GAFFA.dk|access-date=February 1, 2022|archive-date=January 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111084625/https://gaffa.dk/prisen/afstemningen|url-status=dead}}

|-

| Queens of the Summer Hotel

| Best Foreign Album

| {{pending}}

{{end}}

{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

{{sister project links|d=Q239587|b=no|v=no|voy=no|n=no|wikt=no|s=no}}

• [http://aimeemann.com Official website]
• {{AllMusic|class=artist|id=aimee-mann-mn0000610346|label=Aimee Mann}}
• [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Aimee+Mann Aimee Mann's discography at Discogs]
• [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14962491 Aimee Mann at NPR Music]
• {{IMDb name|0005181}}

{{Aimee Mann|state=collapsed}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mann, Aimee}}

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